THE AEROPLANE SAFE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20705, 1 May 1929, Page 10

THE AEROPLANE SAFE

LANDING AT SHIP COVE.

ENGINE TROUBLE COMPELS DESCENT. THE PASSENGERS UNINJURED. (Prb United Press Association.) BLENHEIM, April 30. Captain Chandler and Mr M'Donald were found in Ship Gove, Marlborough Sounds. \ Both are uninjured. The plane is slightly damaged. The search planes which left Blenheim hovered over Ship Cove, and saw Captain Chandler and Mr M'Donald being conveyed by launch to Cannibal Cove adjoining. The machine was in shallow water near the beach, with its tail in the air. WELLINGTON, April 30. The Secretary of the General Post Office supplies the following details concerning the re-appearance of Captain Chandler and Mr M'Donald:— “ The plane, which was forced down owing to engine trouble, was slightly damaged on lauding at Ship Cove. The men walked to Fissenden’s at Cannibal Gove, and at 11 a.m. rang the postmaster at Endeavour Inlet, who immediately advised the postmaster at Picton. Both men had a trying time, but are well.” THE CREW’S EXPERIENCE. SAFE UNDING ON SANDY BEACH A NIGHT IN THE RAIN. (Per United Press Association.) . BLENHEIM, April. 30. The first news of the locating of the airmen was received from Cannibal Cove, the message giving the bare facts that the men were safe and the plane slightly damaged. It has sjnee been ascertained that the Moth made a forced landing in Ship Cove on account of engine trouble. Captain Chandler had hoped to reach Picton, but the engine became so unreliable that a landing at the earliest possible moment was imperative. In Ship Cove the beach presented as good a chance as anywhere, and the machine was headed in, and landed at 2 p.m. As seen from the air by Messrs Mercer and Hall, who saw the plant in the course of their aerial search, the Wakefield Moth seemed to he on its nose in shallow water, about half a dozen yards from the beach. The plane’s crew had spent a comfortless night ashore in the rain. This morning Captain Chandler walked to Cannibal Cove, reaching there about 10 o’clock. Some time later u launch, believed to be one of Mr J. Perano’s whalers, picked up Mr M'Donald at Ship Cove. Both men were provided with much-needed food by Mrs Fissenden, whose husband was out searching the coast towards Cape Jackson. Neither • man appeared much the worse of his trying experience. Captain Chandler states: “We took off from Hastings at 9.45 a.m. on Mobday in the .company of other machines. It had been arranged to land at Pa ref-, rangi, where the Bristol was to be refuelled. Conditions were bumpy/- A smart trip of an hour saw all the machines on the ground at Parorangi. We took the air again at 11.30 a.m. The Blenheim Moth took a north-westerly course over Foxton and Paekakariki to Cape Terawhiti, and at this point should have headed for Tory Channel. At this time the South Island was quite invisible •under heavy rain clouds, so Captain Chandler headed the machine for Lyall Bay, where the conditions were clear. At. this time the clouds over the South Island lifted, and the Brothers and the 1 northern part of the South Island were clearly visible. It was decided to run part of the way across the strait in the of a further improvement in the visibility. When halfway across the water the clouds again shut down, and both islands were obscured. . Descending within 50 feet of the water we found the Brothers dimly visible, but the mainlaifd could not be observed. The machine was turned in the direction of Tory Channel and Port Underwood, but though the plane must have been within 100 feet of the cliffs not a glimpse was available. The plane was turned about, and a little later again picked up the Brothers, which 6 it circled twice to enable the lightkeeper to read, its identification letters, the airmen being well aware they were up against it and at the mercy of their engine. , Just then the Gypsy gave signs of trouble. The machine flew low and picked up the entrance to Queen Charlotte Sound, If anything, the conditions were worse. Blinding rain beat , about the plane, with Motuara just dimly visible below. The engine spluttered and cut out. ‘ Any landing-place here?’ asked the pilot. ‘ You might pnt her down Ship Cove, and you mightn’t.’ was the reply of the passenger. He pointed in that direction, the plane was put into a glide through the fog, and Ship Cove became dimly visible.” As the tide was full, only a small part of the beach was observable, continued the narrator. - One patch of flat rock about 40 feet. square was visible, and Captain Chandler, with uncanny accuracy, headed for it for a pancake landing. He undershot it by 10 feet, and the machine -stalled and in the fraction of a second fell nose down in the water 20 feet from the shore. The pilot was quickly overboard in the water up to his armpits. Mr M'Donald, in the forward cockpit, had some difficulty in extricating himself from under the wings. The crew waded ashore in sheets of rain. It was a wonderful landing in the circumstances, and Captain Chandler’s nice judgment undoubtedly saved the men’s lives. At this stage the plane was virtually undamaged. If the crew had had, a length of rope to put the tail down it could have been pulled in. On the shore the airmen were in sorry plight and wet to the skin. Their matches were sodden, and a fire was out of the question. The rain poured down pitilessly. The pair crouched down in an old packing case which they discovered. About 2 o’clock Captain Chandler set off in an attempt to reach Cannibal Cove, leaving his partner in misfortune in the packing case. Two hours later Chandler was hopelessly lost in the thick hush. He halloed for direction, and found his way back to the packing case. There the men had to face the long hours of darkness, rain beating down unceasingly, while the cold was intense. It was an awful night, never to be forgotten. At dawn Chandler again set of!, eventually reaching Cannibal Cove after a strenuous effort of four hours. About the same time M'Donald attracted the attention'of a fishing launch, and a little later Messrs Mercer and Hall flew overhead fn their searching planes, and Mercer dropped a packet of sandwiches. Mr D. Perano’a launch picked up M'Donald, and later Chandler,. who had telephoned the news of their safety. The plane was rather badly damaged in the storm during the night. / The adventurers have been inundated

with telegrams of congratulation, and a wonderful welcome was given to them at Picton and Blenheim. Both men much appreciate the steps to locate them taken by the pilots in the Blenheim, Hawke’s Bay, and Auckland Clubs, and by Captain Burrell and the Government,

PRIME MINISTER’S CONGRATULATIONS.

(Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, April 30. The Prime Minister (Sir Joseph Ward) has sent a message to Captain Chandler and Mr M'Donald as follows: “I need hardly tell you my colleagues and I have received the news of your safety with very much pleasure and relief, and I am sure these feelings arc shared by the people of New Zealand.”

The Prime Minister has also sent a message to the master of the ferry steamer Maori thanking him for his response to the request to keep a lookout last night. . In a message to Mr Dix, president of the Marlborough Aero Club, Sir Joseph Ward mentions that the Government was only too pleased to do everything possible to co-operate in arranging for a thorough search to be undertaken at the earliest moment. He has also sent thanks to the chairman of the Wellington Harbour Board and to the Union Steam Ship Company for the prompt manner in which they responded to the request to despatch a steamer in search of the missing flyers.