AEROPLANE MISHAP

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23112, 10 August 1938, Page 12

AEROPLANE MISHAP

BOMBER .OVERTURNS BAFFIN CAUGHT BY WIND ACCIDENT ON GROUND BOTH WING TIPS DAMAGED [by telegraph —OWN correspondent] NEW PLYMOUTH, Tuesday Caught by ft violent gust of wind just after it had landed at the New Plymouth airport from Wellington a Royal New Zealand Air Force Baffin bombing aeroplane was turned over on its back. Both wing tips were damaged and the machine will have to be dismantled and taken to the Hobsonville air base for repairs. The pilot, Squadron-Leader Grundy, was not injured. The machine, which was living from Wellington to Auckland, battled against strong head winds all the way, the flight to New Plymouth occupying three and a-quarter hours. The pilot landed at New Plymouth to retuel and the machine had been on the ground only a few minutes when it was caught by an exceptionally strong gust add turned over on its back. One of the Air Force Vildebecsto bombers met with a similar accident at the Lake Grassmere emergency aerodrome, 25 miles south or Blenheim, about a month ago, when en route with 'two other similar machines from Wigram to Auckland. When the machines were near Cape Campbell one developed engine trouble, necessitating an immediate landing on the emergency ground. It made the landing without trouble into a high wind from the south, but the second of the other two aeroplanes, which also came in to land, was caught by a heavy gust just as it was finishing taxi-ing. It was c ° m " pletely overturned, as a result of which a propeller blade was broken and the wings were slightly crumpled. PROPELLER BROKEN LANDING IN SOFT SAND While landing at Ninety Mile Beach, North Auckland, yesterday an aeroplane flown and owned by Mr. F. B. Cadman, of Auckland, struck a soft stretch of sand and tilted foru ard on" its cose, breaking the propeller, Neither Mr. Cadman nor his passenger, Mr. H. J. Butcher, of Auckland, was injured. . The mishap occurred after a flight from Auckland. A spare propeller was sent to Ninety Mile Beach, but, owing to the-unfavourable weather, Mr. Cadman decided not to return by air, and Messrs. Cadman and Butcher are expected to return to Auckland to-day by motor-car, and the aeroplane will be flown back later.