PLANE MISSING

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24423, 8 October 1940, Page 6

PLANE MISSING

FLIGHT FROM WIGRAM LOST IN NORTH CANTERBURY DUNEDIN PILOT IN CREW (Special to Daily Times) WELLINGTON, Oct. 7. An Airspeed Oxford aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force and its crew of two have been reported missing on a training flight over North Canterbury this afternoon. The crew consisted of two airman pilots under training. They are:— Leading-aircraftman Colin McDougall Didsbury, of Wellington. Leading-aircraftman Ralph Norman Allen, of Dunedin. The official report issued in Wellington to-night said that the aircraft left Wigram aerodrome at 2 p.m. to carry out a navigational flight between Wigram, Kaikoura, Oxford, and back to Wigram, where it was due to return at approximately 4 o’clock. At 4.30 it was reported overdue, and action was taken to institute a search. Immediately two aircraft left from Wigram to cover the approximate area of the flight, but visibility was bad and all reports were negative. The missing aircraft was last reported between the Amberley and Upper Ashley River districts between 3 and 3.45 p.m. Reports have also been received that it was heard near Culverden at 3.5 and 3,30. Six aircraft are ready to resume the search at daybreak. Leading-aircraftman Didsbury is a son of Mr H. G. Didsbury, of 224 The Terrace, Wellington. The next of kin of Leading-aircraftman Allen is his mother. Mrs G. H. Allen, of 4 Delta street, Dunedin.

Leading-aircraftman Allen is well known in Rugby football circles in Dunedin, where last year he played on the wing for the Kaikorai senior fifteen. BAD FLYING WEATHER PRECAUTIONARY LANDING POSSIBLE CREW PROBABLY LOST BEARINGS (Per United Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH, Oct. 7. The last reports of the missing machine indicated that the crew may have lost their bearings in bad weather and the limited visibility above the foothills north of Oxford, but the hope was held by officials at Wigram .ast evening that a precautionary landing may have been made because of the bad flying conditions. Leading-aircraftman Didsbury was the pilot of the machine, and Leadingaircraftman Allen was the observer on the flight. The bomber was preceded by 10 minutes by another machine which was to have followed the same course. This machine, running into bad weather on the return trip, headed toward the coast and followed the coastline south from Motunau Island, returning to Wigram shortly before 4 o’clock. Reports received by the police tonight appear to account for the movements of the machine up to 4 o'clock. It is believed to have been seen from the Waipara riverbed about 3.30. and about a quarter of an hour later Mrs Rutherford, of McDonald Downs, saw it circling above the homestead in fog and rain. It turned toward Hawarden and then bpck again, and when last seen by her was flying in the direction of While Rock and Okuku Station. Shepherds at Okuku reported having seen the machine Hying inland just before 4 o’clock. Finally. Mr C. Erickson, of Lees Valley. saw a machine pass overhead very high at 3.48. Visibility was very bad, with thick clouds and rain. The engines sounded to him to be in good order, but the machine appeared to be heading north-west into mountainous country.