Australian aviation history digital archive

DerekB30/11/202223/11/2024

In its mission to preserve and promote Australia’s aviation heritage, the AHSA hosts the following digital archives. Click on the image to go to the selected archive.

CAC Factory Reports 1937 – 1943

1910 "Wittber's Hop" took place on 13 March 1910 when engineer C.W. Wittber made a hop (a short flight) during taxi tests of Bleriot XI monoplane No. 37 owned by F.H. Jones at Bolivar, SA, 10 miles north of Adelaide city. The machine struck a tussock, lurched into the air and after about 15 metres, landed. The aircraft was only airborne for a short distance and Wittber never claimed it as a flight. A monument to the event was erected at Victoria Drive & Port Wakefield Road, Parafield Gardens, SA. The inscription on the memorial reads: First Australian Power Flight / "Wittber's Hop" / Here on March 13th. 1910 in a Bleriot mono-plane owned by F. H. Jones, Carl W. (Bill) Wittber, during taxi-ing tests was unexpectedly airborne in a hop caused by a gust of wind. / Four days later Fred C. Custance, made the first flight in this aircraft in South Australia. / On landing it was wrecked, the pilot escaping uninjured. / This memorial was erected by the City of Salisbury. Sources: Parnell, N. and Boughton, T., Flypast, A Record of Aviation in Australia, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1988; Monuments Australia

1960 Bell 47J VH-INR operated by Ansett-ANA crashed at Melton Weir, VIC on 13 March 1960. VH-INR was the first of what would become a substantial fleet of Bell helicopters operated by Ansett-ANA. It was used for a while to transport Sir reginald Ansett between Essendon Airport, the Yarra Heliport and Mt. Eliza. It was first registered in January of 1959. In March 1960 VH-INR was written off when it struck power lines and crashed into the Melton Weir (roughly 30 km west of Melbourne). Sadly, pilot N. McMillan and two passengers were killed in the accident. Sources: aviation-safety.net website; Ed Coates photo collection4

1974 Piper PA-30-160 Twin Comanche B VH-WWB operated by Murchison Air Services and De Havilland Dove DH1D4 Series 5 aircraft, VH-WST, collided in flight 3 km north of Bankstown Airport, Sydney, NSW. The Dove had taken off from Bankstown Airport and was orbiting the airport at about 1,500 feet above terrain before proceeding to Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) Airport. Some two minutes later the Twin Comanche aircraft also took off from Bankstown Airport and was proceeding to a training area in the vicinity of Camden. The collision occurred in the Bankstown Control Zone in visual meteorological conditions (VMC), and both aircraft were operating under the Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Following the mid-air impact, both aircraft fell to the ground in a residential area of the suburb of Bass Hill, causing damage to houses and other property. The sole occupant of the Dove aircraft and the three occupants of the Twin Comanche aircraft were killed. Both aircraft were destroyed by the collision and ground impact. Sources: ATSB; aviation-safety.net website

1975 Cessna 310N VH-SDE operated by Arnhem Air Charter Pty Ltd crashed at Fitzroy Station, NT on 13 March 1975. At 1703 hours CST the aircraft struck a 60 feet high radio mast and dived to the ground at Fitzroy Station. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and subsequent fire and the five occupants were killed. Sources: ATSB; aviation-safety.net website

1993 Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI VH-LSN operated by private crashed at 4 km SW Canberra Airport, ACT on 13 March 1993. The aircraft took off from runway 12 at Canberra Airport with the pilot and one passenger on board. After becoming airborne, the aircraft entered a climbing left turn and levelled at about 1,200 ft above ground level. The pilot advised the tower controller that he was having a minor technical problem and requested a landing. After a short discussion, the aircraft was cleared to land on runway 35. When the aircraft was about 4 km from the threshold of runway 35, it was seen to enter a steep nose-down attitude. The aircraft subsequently impacted the ground and the pilot and passenger were killed. The Bureau of Air Safety Investigation determined that an engine over-temperature occurred. The over-temperature was probably associated with an internal failure of the upper of two engine fuel pumps. The resulting excessive turbine temperatures led to the turbine blades creeping and rubbing on the turbine casing, and heat generated in the tail pipe as a result was then transferred into the fuselage area. Fuel in the fuselage area aft of frame 21, probably from a leaking fuel boost pump, was ignited by the high radiated temperatures in the tank bay. The fire melted and burned the rudder and elevator control tubes and control of the aircraft was lost. The area where the fire occurred was not monitored by over-heat or fire detection devices, and the pilot was therefore probably not aware of the fire. Sources: ATSB aviation-safety.net website

1996 Cessna 337C Super Skymaster VH-FAM operated by Western Australia Police crashed at Mount Manypeaks, 45 km E of Albany, Western Australia on 13 March 1996. Witness evidence indicates the aircraft and pilot were hired by the passengers, Federal and State officers, who wanted to complete an aerial inspection of some unidentified drums located in a small bay 45 km east of Albany. An attempt to reach the drums on foot had failed because of dense undergrowth. The pilots flight information sheet shows the flight departed Albany Airport at 0901. Passengers watches indicate the crash occurred between 0920 and 0925. There were no witnesses to the route flown or the crash. The aircraft was reported missing at 1500 and the wreckage was located at 1615, on the edge of the bay containing the drums. The investigation determined that neither engine was producing power at impact. The rear engine had been starved of fuel. It is probable that an unbalanced right turn caused unporting of the fuel line to the right sump. As the right sump fuel contents approached the unusable level it is likely the rear engine began to surge rather then just lose all power immediately. Re-establishment of fuel supply from the auxiliary tank would have corrected the situation and prevented complete power loss. The pilot probably attempted to change the tank selection. The lack of fuel in the rear fuel supply lines indicates that this did not occur. Although there is no substantive evidence to explain the loss of power on the front engine it is possible the pilot inadvertently selected it off instead of selecting the rear engine to the auxiliary tank. Failure of the rear engine alone may have been sufficient to cause the loss of control; particularly, if the pilot was distracted from flying the aircraft by the engine/fuel situation. Failure of both engines at a critical point in a maximum-performance turn in a confined area would almost certainly lead to loss of control. The low operating altitude probably prevented recovery from the loss of control situation before impact. Sources: ATSB; aviation-safety.net website

2001 Lancair 320 VH-DNO crashed at Nangiloc, Victoria, on 13 March 2001. The owner of the aircraft was in the process of selling his aircraft. He had taken a prospective purchaser for a flight. The owner sat in the left (command) seat and the purchaser sat in the right (passenger) seat; both seats had functioning flight controls. The plane took off from Mildura airport and had flown 45km south when a witness who was working in a vineyard saw the aircraft flying straight and level, with power changing regularly from a high power setting to idle. A short time later, the witness looked up again when an unusual noise attracted his attention. He saw the aircraft descending in a spin and disappear behind a hill. Shortly after, he heard a sound consistent with the aircraft impacting the ground. The aircraft had impacted the ground at high speed, in straight flight, with wings level and a steep nose down angle. Both occupants received fatal injuries. No indication was found of any pre-existing defect in the aircraft or the engine prior to the accident. The landing gear and the flaps were extended at the time of the accident. The circumstances of the accident were consistent with a loss of control during a demonstration of the handling characteristics of the aircraft at low speed with landing gear and flaps extended. The aircraft entered a spin for reasons that could not be determined. The circumstances were consistent with the spin rotation having been arrested and the aircraft impacting the ground as it was accelerating during the pull out from a dive at the end of a spin recovery. The prospective buyer was Mr Colin Hayes, a second-generation member of one of Australia's great horse racing dynasties, and a keen pilot for the past 20 years. Sources: ATSB; aviation-safety.net website; Thoroughbred News

2006 110 members of the 5th Aviation Regiment were deployed to Afghanistan with two CH-47 Chinook helicopters. The contingent was to provide heavy troop and medical evacuation airlift support to the 200-strong Special Forces Task Group already operating in Afghanistan. Sources: B Nelson (Minister for Defence), Defence Minister Dr Brendan Nelson farewells Army aviation troops bound for Afghanistan, media release, 13 March 2006; Department of Defence, Australian Chinooks fly in Afghanistan, media release, 6 April 2006.

2016 Ultralight XT-912 Arrow 32-8112 crashed at near Yarrawonga Airfield, Victoria on 13 March 2016. There were 2 fatalities and the aircraft was written off. The two men killed in the crash were in Victoria's north to film the Vietnamese version of The Amazing Race TV show. Mt Evelyn man Ian Cook, 60, and his rear passenger, Vietnamese man Quoc Huong Vu, 44, were both killed on impact. Initial investigations by Recreational Aviation Australia suggest atmospheric conditions may have been a contributing factor. Several people reported dust devils – long and sustained whirlwinds – on Sunday. Sources: The Age, 14 March 2016; aviation-safety.net website