"Horsa" shown in the desert with its undercarriage collapsed at the time of the rescue by 84 Squadron.
29.8.36 "Horsa" was Imperial Airways HP.42E G-AAUC c/n 4, Capt L.V.Messenger. It left Basrah for Bahrein after sunset but the departure was not signalled to Bahrein so the landing lights were not lit and the aircraft passed the airfield, running out of fuel and force landing successfully in the desert some 100 miles beyond. It was found by Vincents of No.84 Squadron from RAF Shaibah, salvaged and later impressed as AS981. Date is quoted by most of our correspondents as 22.8.35.
29.8.36 Two photographs add further interest to the report about Horsa G-AAUC. One from Jack Meaden has on the back the note "Horsa 1935 forced landing in desert" and clearly has an airfield background so must have been taken after salvage. The other, from Don Neate via 84 Squadron sources, shows the aircraft in the desert with the starboard undercarriage collapsed. Our accident report for 29.8.36 (reproduced in both "Crash Covers" and "Recovered Mail") gives the location as 60 km south of Salwa Wells. Slightly damaged, the aircraft was unable to take off again and had to wait 40 hours for rescuers to arrive. C.H.Barnes' "Handley Page Aircraft since 1907" (Putnam) describes, the incident on 22.8.35 much as we reported on p.89/109 - though we omitted the famous autographed camiknickers donated to the Squadron by the grateful American passenger Jane Smith after the rescue!

Самолёты на фотографии: Aircrafts on the photo: Handley Page H.P.42 / H.P.45 - ВеликобританияUnited Kingdom - 1930

G-AAUC "Horsa" in 1935 after its forced landing in the desert, apparently following local repairs.
29.8.36 Two photographs add further interest to the report about Horsa G-AAUC. One from Jack Meaden has on the back the note "Horsa 1935 forced landing in desert" and clearly has an airfield background so must have been taken after salvage.

Самолёты на фотографии: Aircrafts on the photo: Handley Page H.P.42 / H.P.45 - ВеликобританияUnited Kingdom - 1930

James Mattern's Ford Trimotor NR9648 after it crashed while attempting to land in foggy conditions at Fairbanks, Alaska on 21.8.37. As indicated by the lettering on the fuselage it was intended to use the Ford to refuel Mattern's Lockheed 12 "The Texan" in flight on a projected trans-Polar flight.

Самолёты на фотографии: Aircrafts on the photo: Ford Tri-Motor / 4-AT / 5-AT - СШАUSA - 1926