MISS AMY JOHNSON IS FORCED DOWN

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19270, 6 January 1931, Page 1

MISS AMY JOHNSON IS FORCED DOWN

MACHINE IS BADLY DAMAGED IN LANDING. (United o ress Assn.—By Electr* ' Telegrapla.—Copyright.) (Received January 6, 10.45 a.m.) WARSAW, January 5. Amy Johnson made a forced landing near the village of Krasnosielk, near Pul tusk, sixty miles north of W arsaw. The machine was badly damaged, but the aviatrix escaped unhurt. She reached Warsaw later by train. Expert examination of the ’plane shows that it is impossible for Miss Amy Johnson to resume her flight at an early date. One wing and the engine are both damaged, necessitating the bringing of the Moth to Warsaw for / repairs. Continuing her effort to reach Pekin, she should have started from Berlin at 9 a.m. on a non-stop flight to Warsaw, but bad weather delayed her until 10.30 a.m., when the rain ceased. The aerodrome officials urged her to fly by the southern route, via Breslau, enabling good landing grounds to be reached if the -weather became worse, but as it would take seven hours as compared with four hours by the direct route, she chose the latter, saying, as she entered the ’plane, cheerfully and confidently: —“ I may turn round if it gets worse.” She encountered extremely bad weather. Adverse -winds forced her northward and she missed her way to Warsaw. Before she got back on her course fog forced a descent on rough ground. The absence of news of her whereabouts for over six hours caused considerable anxiety in Warsaw, where a large crowd waited at the illuminated landing ground until long after darkness. The anxiety was dispelled by Amy telephoning that she was all right and was leaving the 'plane and intended to go to Warsaw by train.