Bairnsdale

The crew was completing a training mission at Bairnsdale Airport. On final approach, the twin engine aircraft crashed 500 yards short of runway threshold. A crew member was killed while three others were injured.
Crew:
Sgt M. Lawrence, †
W/O J. K. Phillips,
F/O W. L. Haynes,
Sgt E. J. Richardson.

Low on fuel while conducting a night training mission in poor weather conditions, the aircraft crashed 2 miles north of Rosedale. A crew members was killed while three others were injured. Sgt. D.J. McLeod parachuted at low altitude and died.
Testimony from the pilot:
The cause of the crash (which the Court of Enquiry called a phenomenon of the weather) was a low cloud bank, right down to the deck, up to about 2000 feet which rolled in from the sea enveloping our base at Bairnsdale, which is near the coast. The 13 aircraft engaged in this night navigation exercise were out at sea. My crash was caused by the lack of fuel. I was the first to take off that night and was about 100 miles from the coast when I sent a signal to base reporting that weather conditions prevented some parts of the navigation procedures being carried out. Base notified all aircraft to return to base. Probably about half of them were able to land at Bairnsdale. After exploring every option available to me the only hope was to bail out because Eastern Victoria was completely covered. So I was about to climb to 5000 feet when we saw a hole in the clouds and a row of lights which could have been a flare path. After checking the fuel and the time we had been in the air I calculated that I still had 30 minutes of fuel which was sufficient to investigate. The lights proved to be a stationary train. I immediately started to climb out when the starboard motor cut at about 2000 feet above sea level. The crew managed to bail out just before the port motor cut. I went into crash landing procedure hitting four trees and losing a large section of one wing and a portion of the other. The aircraft was a write off.
Crew:
F/Sgt Kevin M. Moloney, pilot,
Sgt D. J. McLeod, †
G. S. Liles,
P/O A. M. Ward.
Source: http://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes/vic141.htm

The crew was performing a test flight at Bairnsdale Aerodrome following the 80 flying hours service. When pulling out of high speed shallow dive at 80 feet and some 200 yards down from the camera (the flight was filmed), the starboard wing failed at wing station # 144, causing part of the outer wing (3 feet from engine) and spar to separate from the aircraft. The aircraft then rolled inverted, causing a further failure of the tail plane, with the aircraft then crashing into the ground and exploding.
Crew (1st OTU):
S/L P. C. Tampion,
Cpl H. P. Smith,
LAC A. P. Thomas,
LAC N. L. Cheshire.
Source: http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/
Photos: Gordon Birkett

While on a flight from Bairnsdale to Whitemark (Flinders Island), the twin engine aircraft crashed into the sea in unknown circumstances. SAR mission was conducted but evetually suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. 18 RAAF aircraft took part of the SAR operation.
Crew (1st OTU):
P/O Edward R. Deacon,
Sgt Albert F. Manning,
Sgt Cecil H. Andrews,
Sgt William Anderson.

The crew was performing a training mission to Bairnsdale. While completing the approach circuit, at a height of 2,000 feet to join the glide path, the twin engine aircraft pitch down up to 35°, dove into the ground and crashed in a field located 7 miles southeast of the airport. Both crew members were killed.
Crew (1st OTU):
P/O A. G. Gray,
AC1 D. M. O'Loughlin.

The crew left Bairnsdale Airfield in the afternoon with two others RAAF Lockheed Hudson on a reconnaissance mission. At 1614LT, ground instructed all crew to return to the airbase due to the deterioration of the weather conditions. The crew of A16-39 followed another route for undetermined reason. Both other Hudson landed without further incident while A16-39 crashed 500 yards from a private house located in Longpoint, near Sale. All four crew members were killed.
Crew (7th Squadron):
S/L James W. McGilvray, pilot,
Sgt M. J. Gawith, observer,
Sgt F. R. Walton, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt E. W. Bayley, wireless operator and air gunner.