Christchurch

On touchdown at Christchurch Airport, the rain main gear collapsed. The twin engine airplane went out of control, veered off runway and came to rest in a grassy area. All three occupants were uninjured and the aircraft was not repaired. Built in 1937, the airplane christened 'Spirit of Tasman Bay' was the last Lockheed 10 Electra in service in New Zealand.

The crew departed Christchurch on a supply mission to the bases of Cape Hallett and McMurdo Sound, carrying seven passengers, a crew of six and a load of 8,5 tons of wood. While approaching Cape Hallett at the altitude of 7,000 feet in a 'VMC on top' mode, the aircraft was already off course by 29 km. The pilot started the descent to 6,500 feet, completed a first turn to the right at 345° then a second turn to the left at 270° before reaching the Cape Hallett Bay. Shortly later, the crew reduced his altitude to 2,400 feet, went through the cloud layer at a speed of 135 knots and flaps were extended when the airplane struck the ground and disintegrated. The wreckage was spotted few hours later 37 km from the Cape Hallett camp and six wounded people were evacuated while seven others were killed.

The flight was a routine cargo flight from Woodbourne to Timaru via Paraparaumu. After take-off the aircraft was climbed to 2 500 ft on instruments and a period of asymmetric instrument flying followed during which the starboard pro- peller was feathered and rate half turns were made in both directions. The starboard propeller was unfeathered and when the minimum operating temperatures had been reached, normal power was applied. Two minutes later a sudden and severe vibration was felt throughout the aircraft. Feathering of the port engine was delayed until nearer the North Island coastline, and no further vibration was felt on the remainder of the flight to Paraparaumu. The aircraft was then loaded and one crew member was off-loaded prior to take-off on the second segment of the flight to Timaru. At 1127 hours the flight called Harewood Tower giving its position as 6 miles north of the Wairnakariri River mouth at 3 000 ft contact. It was subsequently cleared to maintain 3 000 ft to the Harewood Range Station. It then advised that it would descend VFR from the Range Station and proceed VFR to Timaru and was subsequently cleared for this procedure by Harewood Tower. At 1133 hours, at an approximate height of 2 000 ft, the aircraft was seen to suffer structural failure in the air. The starboard outer wing folded upwards and backwards and then separated. The remainder of the aircraft performed a series of violent manoeuvres while diving towards the ground at a mean angle of 35°' shedding a number of major components before finally striking the ground 1 000 yards beyond the point of wing separation. The 2 crew and 2 passengers aboard were killed, and the aircraft was destroyed.

The aircraft left Christchurch to McMurdo along with other long range aircraft of VX-6. After passing the PSR (point of safe return), a severe storm enveloped the McMurdo area. Since they had insufficient fuel to return to Christchurch, the crew was committed to flying into the storm and landing at McMurdo. The pilot made a ground controlled approach from 12,000 feet to 300 feet and then elected to make a visual landing. With the landing gear down, the plane began to turn right, the nose of the plane fell, and the Neptune struck the snow on the nose and right wing. The Neptune was completely demolished. Four crew members were killed while four others were injured.
Source: Joe Baugher.

Went out of control and crashed upside down in a field located in Wairarapa, in the suburb of Christchurch. The pilot was injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

On final approach to Paraparaumu Airport, both engines failed simultaneously. Then captain was able to restart the engine but the aircraft lost speed and height. While trying to climb, the aircraft banked right and hit a house, shearing off 12 feet of the right wing. The airplane passed between two houses and eventually crashed in a wooded area. The aircraft was destroyed, three children were killed and all other occupants were injured, some of them seriously.

While cruising in foggy conditions, the single engine aircraft went out of control and crashed into the sea near the Waitaki River mouth, northeast of Oamaru. The dead body of the pilot and owner A. J. McIntosh was found on a beach a week later, on September 1st, 1948. Some debris of the aircraft were also found.

The crew was performing a training flight and departed Wigram AFB in the early morning. While flying in the Kaituna Valley, some 20 km south of Christchurch, the crew encountered poor weather conditions and low visibility due to fog. The twin engine aircraft impacted a mountain slope and was destroyed. All four crew members were killed.
Crew (1st SFTS):
P/O William Krogh,
LAC Archibald Hull,
LAC Herbert von Tunzelman,
AC1 Albert Duffell.

The airplane departed Hokitika in relative good weather conditions. About 30 minutes into the flight, while cruising at a height of some 1,250 metres, the aircraft impacted the slope of Mt Turiwhate located 30 km east of Hokitika. At the time of the accident, the visibility was poor due to rain falls and foggy conditions. The pilot John D. Renton and the passenger James Daniel Lynch were killed.

The pilot H. C. Grout was performing some demo flights in the region of Blenheim. After a stop in Kaikoura, he was positioning to his base in Christchurch. En route, the engine failed and he was forced to attempt an emergency landing. At low height, the airplane stalled and crashed in a wheat field near Motunau. Seriously injured, the pilot was evacuated to a local hospital but died from his injuries in the evening. The aircraft was destroyed.