BURIED IN BUSH AT CABARITA
Two Aero Club pilots, F.R. Maguire and J. Pollack, had an amazing escape this afternoon when a Moth plane they were flying crashed on to a narrow strip of scrubland at Cabarita Point. The plane came down within a few yards of the roadway and narrowly missed diving into Kendall Bay.
It crashed into a heavy clump of lantana bushes and this probably saved the fliers from serious injury. The machine was almost buried in the heavy bushes into which it had dived.
Piloted by Maguire, the plane left Mascot shortly after 2 pm today and was flying over Cabarita at 1500 feet when the engine cut out. Gazing below the pilot could see no possible landing ground so he decided to make for the little strip, about 25 yards wide and about 50 yards long, between the roadway and the bay.
The plane narrowly missed striking a huge gasworks dome as it came down, but luck was with them.
Had the plane not stopped in the lantana bushes it would have continued on and crashed into a fence. Had the plane landed a few yards further to the left it would have struck the side of the small cliff and tumbled into the bay. Had it landed forward it would have crashed into the fence.
Spectators were amazed when they saw the pilot and passenger hop out uninjured and calmly light cigarettes and survey the plane. The first thing they did was to discuss how they would get the plane, which was hidden in the lantana bushes out again.
The services of a number of local residents were obtained and they set about cutting down the bushes with axes. A lorry was later produced, and with the help of spectators, the two fliers dragged the plane from the bushes.
It was not badly damaged.
Newcastle Sun, 29 July 1935 (Trove Newspapers)
