AVIATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21578, 25 February 1932, Page 9

AVIATION

HAMILTON AND COUPLAND FLIGHT ABANDONED. ROME, February 23. Hamilton and Coupland, who were interviewed in hospital at Ruvo, stated that they will not continue their journey, and are returning to England after a few days’ recuperation. They said that they flew into a blinding snowstorm on Friday evening and struck a rocky mountainside, smashing the wheels of the machine. They were forced to remain all night long on the mountain, enduring agony and terrible cold. Next morning they shouted incessantly for help for an hour without avail. They found an empty 1 cottage. Peasants came to their assistance and took them to a farm, where first aid was rendered. Hamilton was bleeding at the mouth and nose, and Coupland was badly bruised. Meanwhile the aeroplane lies buried in the snow. An attempt was made by a number of Italian soldiers to dismantle the aeroplane, but the snow was so thick that they found it impossible. LIVES SAVED BY SNOW. FORCE OF CRASH BROKEN. ROME, February 23. Snow 3ft deep broke the force of the ■ crash and probably saved the lives of Hamilton and Coupland. The airmen sat on what remained of the cabin and awaited the dawn. Then they saw a house in the distance and struggled across the snow. A farmer came to their rescue. EXPERIENCES RECOUNTED. ROME, February 23. (Received Feb. 24, at 8 p.m.) At Ruvo Di Puglia Hamilton and Coupland, whose lives were saved by a snowdrift, are now, as a precautionary measure, in bed. They have received many callers. Hamilton, who was sitting up cheerfully smoking, said: “ After leaving Rome we climbed to 10,000 feet to clear 8000-feet hills. Snow clouds obscured our view, but the forecast predicted fine weather shortly, and so we kept on, but were still befogged after 160 minutes, so we concluded that we were over plains. We shared the piloting. A, snowstorm at 4000 feet made everything invisible. We tried to descend and crashed between Altamura and Corato.”

Coupland added that he found Hamilton senseless, with cuts on his face. The machine was embedded deep in a snowdrift, 'the undercarriage being lost and the propeller broken. He explored and found a deserted hut two miles away. He then returned to the machine, but fainted. Hamilton recovered at dawn, and both shouted and attracted the attention of peasants. They walked to a farm, but the snow was so deep that the journey of 20 miles to Ruvo took eight hours. “We are preparing a fresh flight to reach London,” said Hamilton.