MYSTERY AIR LANDINGS

Chronicle (Levin), 21 January 1948, Page 5

MYSTERY AIR LANDINGS

( N.Z.P.A. -

—Reuter

Explanation Made Bnt Police Not Convinced

Convright)

Received Wednesday, 11.5 a.m. SYDNEY, Jan. 21. A web of circumstantial evidence concerning the mystery landings by unidentified aircraft on deserted wartime airstrips in Northern Territory, has been severely damaged by the belated admission of an R.A.A.F. spokesman that the airstrips had been used recently by service aircraft. . This admission follows' a state - . ment by the Minister of the Interior, Mr. H. V. Johnson, that the machines making unauthorised landings were probably being used to smuggle gold out of Australia. The R.A.A.F. spokesman said that R.A.A.F. Wirraways had recently made several landings at Batchelor and Gould airstrips in the course of training flights. The plane which landed at Batchelor: last week was a Wirraway, pilbted by a senior R.A.A.F. officer who > was investigating reports of mys-| terious tvre marks 011 the run-i ways. This officer later reported { that the marks were made by a j Wirraway, although the older tyrei marks were probably made by a larger aircraft. The local police are far from satisfied and are still seeking substantiation of their theory that unauthorised planes are using the; airstrips.