Air Sweep Of Coast At Low Tide To Be Made Today

Wanganui Chronicle, 28 October 1948, Page 6

Air Sweep Of Coast At Low Tide To Be Made Today

WELLINGTON, Last Night (PA). —Eighteen aircraft will carry out a coast-to-coast search tomorrow for the missing airliner, Kaka. The area stretches from the Waikato River mouth across the island and then south to Galatea and west to the Awakino River.

An air sweep will also be made at low tide along the west coast between the Awakino River mouth, west of Lake Taupo, to Kawhia Harbour. Observers will seek wreckage which may have been washed ashore within the past few days.

Search will also be made of an area near Mokai, just north of Lake Taupo An example of fine co-ordination between ground and air search was given in the Waitomo area today. A silver object had been sighted from the ground in wild country near Waitomo. A ground search party struggled into the vicinity of the object and then radioed for a plane to be sent in to search the area Ten minutes after their radio message had been received two aircraft were right over the silver object, Twenty minutes later they were joined by another Auster aircraft. After a close search of the area they reported that the silver was a small lake glinting in the sun.

Fine weather this afternoon enabled 16 aircraft searching for the missing air liner to cover a huge slice of territory The search was extended northward to just south of Hamilton Three aircraft concentrated on the Ongarue sector and carried out a search which was stated to have been as thorough as possible, taking into account the precipitous nature of the 3000 ft. high country and heavy growth, ot virgin bush. For the first time since the search started on Saturday searching planes, 14 of them Air Force, were enabled to cover Mount Ruapehu completely Mount Tongariro. however, was still crowned with cloud. Late this afternoon three aircraft swept as far north as Pukekohe. All the search aircraft, the greatest number in the air together since the task commenced, were employed until nightfall. It was almost 7 p.m before they returned to their bases. Two Austers stationed at Karioi fcr close-in search were fully employed during the afternoon, and were supplemented by another Auster.

A cold front • which passed over from the south kept all the aircraft, with the exception of one, a weather reporting plane, on the ground for most of the morning