AIRMEN MISSING

Evening Star, Issue 23695, 1 October 1940, Page 4

AIRMEN MISSING

MACHINE BELIEVED DOWN FLIGHT IN HEAVY MIST INTENSIVE SEARCH PROCEEDING [Per United Press Association.] AUCKLAND, September 30. Three memebrs of the Royal New Zealand Air Force stationed at Ohakea are missing in an Airspeed Oxford monoplane which is believed - to have been forced down in the Mokau district, north of New Plymouth, this afternoon. A machine, believed to be the missing one, was last seen flying in heavy mist and rain near the coast, heading south in the direction of Pukearuhe, and there had been no further trace of it up to a late hour to-night. The crew of the machine were;— Flying-officer Harry Nalder Major, single, aged 29, son of the late Mr C. T. Major, a former head master of King’s College, Auckland. His nest nl kin is a sister living at Tuakau. Flight - sergeant Sheldon Benton Smith, single, aged 25, a son of Mr and Mrs Henry Smith, of Grange road, Mount Eden, Auckland. Corporal Raymond B. Smith, single, aged 23, whose next of kin is a sister, Mrs C. T. Morgan, of Miramar, Wellington. Flying-officer Major was tho pilot of the machine. Ho is an instructor at the Ohakea aerodrome, where his companions are members of the ground staff. All spent the week-end in Auckland. and left the Hobsonville air base at 11.45 a.in. POOR VISIBILITY, Another aeroplane also set out and encountered bad weather and restricted visibilty along the west coast. As the machines made south Flying-officer Major’s plane was some distance ahead when the other turned back and returned to Auckland, where it arrived safely. An aeroplane answering to the description of the missing Oxford was seen at Mokau about 1 p.m. It was flying south at a low altitude, and according to a young man in the district it was apparently experiencing engine trouble, as the engine appeared to cut out. Later, it is reported, an aeroplane was observed flying northward, and shortly afterwards again making south. It seemed to be the same machine. It was last seen about 1.30 p.m. just south of Tongaporutu, on the coast, midway between Mokau and New Plymouth. The machine was flying very low near the coast and heading south in the direction of Pukearuhe. Inquiries made by the police among farmers along tho coast failed to give any indication of tho whereabouts of tho plane, which carried sufficient petrol for about five hours’ flying. A search is being conducted in the locality where the aeroplane was last seen. Flight-sergeant Smith was associated with the Air Force several years ago, and later was employed as assistant ground engineer by Cook Strait Airways Ltd. At the outbreak of war he was drafted from the civil reserve into tho Air Foi'ce as a ground engineer. Corporal Smith has been a member of tho Air Force for two years. BAD WEATHER THE SEARCH HINDERED •AUCKLAND, October L Three Airspeed Oxfords left the Hohsouville air base at 6 o’clock this morning to search for the flyers missing in tho Taranaki district, but owing to had weather one machine returned to Auckland. Tho other two landed at New Plymouth. The Auckland planes will search the area north of New Plymouth while the planes from Ohakea will search the other areas. The search will be continued as soon as the weather improves. A report received in Auckland states that a plane which might have.been the missing plane was seen over Patea at 2 o’clock yesterday afternoon.