Qantas Mishap In Vila

From Our Own Correspondent VILA. June 16.

QANTAS’ Sandringham VH-EBW met with disaster when preparing for the take off from Vila Harbour for the Vila-Santo leg of the Sydney-Santo flight on June 10.

The aircraft was warming up for its

take-off run down the harbour in a general WS-westerly direction when, in order to avoid a launch dangerously close, the pilot was forced to suddenly alter course. In doing so the aircraft struck a reef off Melapor Point. The aircraft was immediately holed.

With difficulty the captain was able to manoeuvre the Sandringham across the bay to within a few yards of the shoreline

of Vila township. There he beached it.

Passengers and crew left the aircraft through the escape hatch.

In August, 1950, a RNZAF Catalina grounded; in February of this year the Carpenter vessel, Lautoka, ran aground at a point not far from where the Sand ringham struck.

At 1 p.m. on the day following this latest accident, another QEA Sandring ham from Sydney was at anchor on Vila Harbour with salvage equipment.

The holed aircraft has been stripped of instruments and all four engines. The hull is to be towed to a less busy part of the harbour and, it is believed, an at tempt will be made to sell it.

The Sandringham beached at Port Vila.