This Day in History: 1945-07-30

Bristol Beaufort VII A9-143 operated by 1 Operational Training Unit RAAF crashed at Waddy Island, four miles south-east of Paynesville, Victoria, on 30 July 1945. The aircraft was on a dual instruction flight in low flying from East Sale airfield. The cause of the accident was obscure but the Director of Flying Safety believed that it was “possible that an error of judgment was made by the pilot during a turn to port at low altitude in difficult conditions.” The crew of three, including FLGOFF Melville Maxwell Castle 424966 (student pilot, left seat), FLGOFF Robert Meath Hammond 415870 (instructing pilot, right seat) and FLTSGT Stanley Trevor Lloyd (wireless operator) were killed in the crash. Sources: ADF-Serials; aviation-safety.net website