NO TRACE FOUND

Wairarapa Times-Age, 13 April 1940, Page 6

NO TRACE FOUND

SEARCH FOR MISSING PLANE THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN FORCED DOWN. PROBABLY IN MOUNTAIN COUNTRY. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. No trace has yet been found of the aeroplane from Wigram Aerodrome which failed to return after undergoing a height test. It is believed to be possible that the pilot may have lost his way in heavy mist and storm over the foothills of the Southern Alps, and that the men have been forced to land. One theory is that the machine is down in the mountains, in the area between Cass and Arthur's Pass. Low visibility, rain, mist and slight falls of snow have hampered searchers from penetrating very far into this area and the search will be taken up again this afternoon, and will be carried on all day tomorrow. When the machine took off from Wigram. it had sufficient petrol for three and a half hours’ flying. A report has been received from Cass that an aeroplane was heard over that district al about 3 p.m. Mr. D. McLeod, of Grasmere Station. Cass, said that he heard ihe plane and judged it to be at an altitude of •1000 to 5000 feet. The aeroplane did not appear to pe following the normal route taken by machines when flying in that direction, which was either up fne course of the Waimakariri or above ihe railway line. This machine, instead o£ g'oing from east to west, appeared to be crossing the normal line of flight diagonally from south Io north. "Th? wcather was thick and very foggy,” said Mr. McLeod, “and 1 was surprised to hear an aeroplane over Cass in conditions like that." The Wigram Aerodrome reported that the weather today further into the hills from Cass was particularly bad and that searching planes were handicapped by bad visibility. Another report was that the missing aeroplane was seen over Ashburton. The Wigram authorities have assumed that the machine has been forced down in the bills, possibly in Ihe region where a plane was heard, between Cass and Arthur's Pass. At present there is no trace or clue to guide the search. If is thought unlikely that the machine I ■went out to cea and became lost there.