Big Fleet Of Search Planes Fails To Find Any Trace Of Missing Air Liner Kaka

Wanganui Chronicle, 28 October 1948, Page 6

Big Fleet Of Search Planes Fails To Find Any Trace Of Missing Air Liner Kaka

AUCKLAND, Last Night (PAL —A big fleet oP aircraft, ranging from Air Force Dakotas ami Mosquitoes, to the slow flying 'manoeuvrable Tiger .Moth, was engaged today in a search for the missing Lockheed Electra. Kaka.

Harvards. Ansons and Oxfords all joined in giving more intensive air coverage to the areas chosen than had been possible earlier because of the bad weather that had lasted since Saturday.

Even this morning the departure of searching Dakotas from Auckland was delayed by the weather. A narrow front, which carried only showers to Auckland, but was more severely felt further south, caused sevponement in the dawn take-off planned from Whenuapai, but conditions improved later. The cloud base lifted to about 3000 feet and better visibility helped the searching aircrews. Although their range is limited, light aircraft can fly safely at low speeds and are often preferable to the bigger and faster planes for the exacting work of an aerial search. They can be flown a little above tree-top height under good conditions, can work slowly up valleys* and can turn so quickly that a pilot who imagines ne sees something of value can turn and check his observations v ith ease. Thus it was that two Tiger Moths from Hamilton were sent out to scour the area between Raglan, Albatross Point, Otorohanga, and Te Awamutu from which many sighting reports have been received. Their search was without result. Partly overlapping the sector covered by the Moths was an area al located to one of the Auckland Dakotas. Its sister-plane was further inland toward bake Taupo. Both returned tb base with negative reportsAlthough the search has moved steadily northward, it is stili being directed by the Wellington air trai- i tic control centre.

The possibility that the Kaka might , actually be much further south than ' many reports suggest has not been ? overlooked and some of the aircraft . from southern bases were searching I areas a long way south of those covered by the planes from Auckland and ■ Hamilton. The suggestion that the | plane may have reached Kawhia, and even possibly flown out over the seaf has focussed attention agtin on a re- • port received frorq three units of the . high frequency direction finding net- . work on Saturday that an unidenti- . liable signal was received from a point . some 60 miles off the coast in the . nonh Taranaki Bight. The authori- ; ties are satisfied that this signal was I some freak of the radio, and that it . could not in any circumstances have come from the Electra, no matter what had happened to the plane’s ■ radio equipment, and no matter what i adjustments had been attempted in the air. The frequency on which the signal was heard was too high even to be a freak harmonic from the Electra’s unit. To make assurance doubly sure a Catalina was sent from Auckland to a point plotted before dark on Saturday. Nothing was steen in the rough sea. Reports that wreckage had beev seen from Waitomo Hostel were proved negative after aircraft had scoured the area late this afternoon and a resident had tramped to the spot marked. He advised the search organiser that a small sheet of water shining in the light had evidently been mistaken for wreckage, of which there was no trace. Detailed arrangements for the search in the Auuckland area had not been completed tonight. It was known, however, that at least eight planes would be taking part, includj ing some from Whenuap-ii, Rotorua, ‘Hamilton, and Karioi, near