AEROPLANE DAMAGED.

Rodney and Otamatea Times, Waitemata and Kaipara Gazette, 8 July 1931, Page 4

AEROPLANE DAMAGED.

One of the Auckland Aero Club's Moth aeroplanes, piloted by Mr J. M. Stevenson, made a remarkable forced landing near the Dome Valley, between Wellsford and Warkworth, about 12.30 on Saturday afternoon, says the Herald. A lower wing of the aeroplane and the propeller were broken and the undercarriage was smashed, but the pilot and a passenger, his sister-in-law, Mrs R. Stevenson, escaped serious injury.

The landing was made on a clearing 30yds. square, at the edge of a. bush-clad gully on the northern side ol Dome Hill, the onlyspot within miles where a landing could have been made. Haying flown to Whangar'eifrom Mangere earlier in, the day, Mr Stevenson was making the return trip when he was forced to descend, owing to the breaking of the crankshaft. Top of. Ridge Avoided. As the aeroplane came down the pilot just managed to avoid the top of a ridge to land in the clearing. The clearing was strewn with stumps and fallen trees, and striking one of these the machine swung round against the hillside,, but did not overturn. A limb of a fallen kauri tree penetrated the front cockpit in which Mrs Ste.venson was sitting and she had a remarkable escape from serious injury. As it was, she received bruises and suffered a heavy blow over one eye. Clumps of fern about 2ft. high made the landing all the more difficult. In a scattered and hilly district, miles from any township, the plight of the pilot and Mrs Stevenson might have been even worse had it not been for the fact that Mr C. Grimmer, the owner of the property on which the aeroplane landed, and two other men, Messrs E. Bull and T. A. Gubb, were only a few hundred yards away attending to fences. Otherwise, sfcranded as they were, about three miles from Waiwhiu Road, a clay road off the Dome Valley Road, six miles away, assistance would have been difficult to obtain. They were taken on horseback over a cattle track to the Dome Valley Road, and a service car summoned from Warkworth brought them to Auckland. Removal of Machine. . Later in the day Mr Stevenson and Mr R. J. Copely, ground engineer at the Mangere aerodrome, left for Warkworth to make arrangements for getting the damaged aeroplane out. On Sunday about six mechanics arrived on the scene by motor-lorry from Auckland and another motorlorry was sent from Warkworth. Owing to the state of the road they were unable to proceed any closer than about four miles from the clearing.

The aeroplane was dismantled and the men carried the parts over'-the hilly country and across a stream to the lorries, which returned to Warkworth. The engine was taken out by sledge.

Ketumed M)ltliciß are reminded of tii« ussfcia i«in\> i». union t.) bo held at 'Velli>fot(i •n« xt Satuidj\v evening. Jv euinterest in t is fuDCJun is being >.1 avii [>y men of r.he disuirf,, nud it is riutiqi| nteii th« it will p-ove ono <vf tie mo«l. enjo. de gujiieiinga ytt , [<i in I'd ~. y , ' prfi ii.c h m his repi c>> adver tisumHit' i .«■ ist-ue, Mr ")ril J". Biker, Hi.-.... .f W«\kw>.iUi, an-' i ounces ill li has bis i evidential address.