A RETIRED American, who last flew to the island nearly 20 years ago on a dramatic flight out of Atlanta, returned to Bermuda this week to clear up a mystery.

In March of 1983, Bill Ellis was en route to Bermuda for a convention of the Council of Production Centers - an association of co-op canners of Coca-Cola - when a hole was discovered in the airport tarmac just before his Delta flight landed, forcing them to return to the United States.

"We were on the airplane and in sight of the fish-hook when the captain said he had to turn back the plane because there was a gaping hole in the runway which meant we didn't have enough space to taxi," said Mr. Ellis.

"I like to write little rhymes and every time I go on vacation I write a rhyme about the trip, so my wife said I should put the experience to rhyme. I finished the poem half-way back to Bermuda and then asked the steward if I could read it to the passengers over the intercom."

Mr. Ellis said the steward somewhat grudgingly agreed to his request. The rhyme, however, was a hit with his fellow passengers, noticeably brightening their moods after the lengthy diversion.

Two days later, the Mid-Ocean News ran a story about the ordeal and the poem on the front page, describing Mr. Ellis as an anonymous artist.

"I saw the article which had been printed in the Mid-Ocean News," he said, "but it never identified me as the author of the poem. I thought it would be fun, since we were visiting, to go back and show what really happened 20 years later."