Australia

The crew was performing a cargo flight from Melbourne to Hobart, carrying a load of refrigeration equipment. While descending to Hobart, the crew passed through the clouds at 2,000 feet then completed a turn over the Frederick Henry Bay when the aircraft crashed into the bay about 13 km from the runway 30 threshold. The captain Peter Kemp was rescued while the copilot Alan Jay was killed.

Shortly after takeoff from Bourke Airport, while in initial climb, the right engine failed. The crew elected to feather the propeller but this was not possible as the propeller windmilled at 600 rpm. Due to high drag, the captain decided to attempt a belly landing in a field located 2 km from the airport. On touchdown, the aircraft slid for 125 meters then struck a tree, causing the right wing to be sheared off. It then slid for another 55 meters before coming to rest in flames. All 13 occupants escaped without injuries while the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

Shortly after takeoff from Darwin Airport, while climbing, the four engine aircraft suffered a bird strike. As an engine lost power, the aircraft stalled and crashed past the runway end. All 25 occupants were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

10 Squadron RAAF had received a telephone call late on Good Friday night from the Townsville hospital seeking an emergency evacuation to Brisbane of a critically jaundiced 2 day old baby, Robyn Huxley. As most of the Squadron's air crew were on leave or stand-down over Easter, the Commanding Officer of 10 Squadron, Wing Commander John Costello decided to pilot the Squadron's only serviceable aircraft, A73-64, for the evacuation flight. The crew consisted of the new Commanding Officer Wing Commander Costello who had flown Sunderlands during the war against the German U Boats in the Atlantic, the Senior Navigation Officer, Squadron Leader Finlay, who was a wartime Pathfinder navigator, the squadron Chief Signaler, Flight Lieutenant Cater, and the squadron Senior Engineering Officer, Squadron Leader Mason. The baby girl and nurse Mafalda Gray were positioned in the long-nosed section of the Lincoln bomber. The aircraft took off from Garbutt airfield at 00.30 am on Saturday 9 April 1955. The aircraft encountered some cloud and rain as it approached southern Queensland. The aircraft had to fly at a relatively low altitude to ensure the baby had a comfortable flight. At 4.05 am the aircraft contacted Brisbane Air Traffic Control to advise that they were flying in cloud at 6,000 feet. They advised that they would arrive in Brisbane in about 10 minutes time and sought a clearance to reduce altitude to 5,000 feet. Brisbane Air Traffic Control advised that they were cleared to drop to 5,000 feet and if they wished they could drop to 4,000 feet for the approach to Eagle Farm airfield. A short time later Brisbane Air Traffic Control contacted them with weather information and asked them to confirm when they had obtained a visual fix on the town of Caboolture. No further reports were heard from the Lincoln bomber. There were no low clouds in the Brisbane area at that time. Some time later, reports came in that an aircraft, later confirmed as a Lincoln, was heard to circle over the town of Bell at about 3.30 am. Bell is located about 18 miles north east of Dalby. Clearly A73-64 was well off course. The weather south of Bell was overcast with scattered rain. At 4.14 am some members of the Brisbane Bushwalking Club heard a large aircraft fly overhead followed by the noise of an impact and some large explosions. By their estimation it had slammed into a nearby mountain in the Main Range region of the Border Ranges near Emu Vale. This was later confirmed to be Mount Superbus, the highest mountain (1,375 meters) in southern Queensland. A small group from the Bushwalking club was dispatched immediately to Emu Vale to notify the relevant authorities. Five hours later a Canberra bomber from Amberley airbase was able to confirm the location of the still burning wreckage of Lincoln, A73-64 just below the summit of Mount Superbus. Ground rescue crews were dispatched to the site. They quickly confirmed that there were no survivors.
Crew (10th Squadron):
W/Cdr John Peter Costello, pilot,
S/Ldr Charles Surtees Mason, copilot,
S/Ldr John Watson Finlay, navigator,
F/Lt William George Stanley Cater, signaler.
Passengers:
Baby Robyn Huxley,
Sister Mafalda Gray.
Source: http://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes/superbus.htm

The pilot, sole on board, departed Corowa Airport on a ferry flight to Yarrawonga. After getting airborne, he smelt burning rubber and believing the aircraft was on fire, turned back and landed downwind on the crossing runway. Control was lost and the aircraft violently ground-looped, causing the undercarriage to collapse. The aircraft was not insured and its loss was a financial blow to the company. During recovery efforts using a crane, the tail section broke away from the rear fuselage. The aircraft was irreparable. The pilot was unhurt.

The crew was engaged in a local training flight to be familiarized on this aircraft that was registered on the Australian registry two days earlier. Shortly after takeoff, while climbing, the airplane crashed in a field and was destroyed. A pilot was killed while two other occupants were injured.
Crew:
Cpt T. H. Dalton, pilot,
Reginald C. Adsett, examiner, †
R. H. Jarvis, assistant to Mr. Adsett.

The crew (pilots and engineers) were engaged in a local training flight at Mangalore Airport, Victoria. During the takeoff roll on runway 22, after it reached V1 speed, the instructor shut down the engine number four and feathered its propeller to simulate an engine failure. The pilot-in-command continued the takeoff procedure. Shortly after rotation, the aircraft turned to the right and reached the height of 100 feet when it stalled and crashed in flames in a field located less than one km west of the airfield. Five crew members were injured (three of them seriously) while three pilots were killed. The aircraft was destroyed. The takeoff from which the accident resulted was being attempted in the most critical three-engine configuration, i.e. with number 4 engine (starboard outer) inoperative. In this configuration, with flaps extended 20° and the three engines on full power, a minimum speed of 96 knots is necessary in order to ensure that, using both rudder and aileron, a constant heading can be maintained. When flying under these conditions at speeds below 96 knots it is not possible to keep the aircraft from turning. The takeoff safety speed for the conditions existing at the time of this accident is given in the flight manual for Viscount VH-TVA as 106 knots and it has been the practice of Trans- Australia Airlines to teach its pilots not to lift the aircraft off the ground at speeds below 110 knots in a three-engine takeoff. It has been calculated that with normal acceleration in a three-engine take-off the speed of the aircraft when it left the runway would have been 85 to 90 knots which was too low.

The aircraft left Sydney-Mascot at 1400LT on a newspaper delivery flight to Tamworth with intermediate stops in Taree, Kempsey, Armidale and Glen Innes. At 1437LT, the crew informed ground about his position and confirmed his ETA in Taree at 1501LT. About eight minutes later, the airplane hit trees and crashed in a dense wooded area located about 10 km north of the Chichester Dam. As the airplane failed to arrive, SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended two weeks later as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. Fifteen months later, on December 22, 1955, the pilot of a Butler Air Transport DH.114 Heron spotted the wreckage that was found about 20 feet below the summit. All three occupants have been killed.
Crew:
Cpt Douglas Hereward Swain, pilot,
F/O Alistair Sydney Cole-Milne, copilot.
Passenger:
Cpt D. Burns.

The aircraft took off from Sale bound for Bathurst and Richmond. During the flight the starboard engine lost power but the plane was able to make a safe landing at Canberra. No cause for the engine failure could be found and the next morning the DC-3 departed Canberra for Sale (East Sale Airbase). At approximately 11am, just before reaching Mt Kosciuszko, the starboard engine again failed. This time however the plane lost altitude dramatically and was subject to severe turbulence. The only option was to attempt a forced landing. At that point an open flat appeared amongst the mass of forested mountains. Laurie Hawes and Bernie Mullen struggled to control the stricken aircraft while Frank Howie sent out a distress signal. They circled the flat and made their approach. Before the Dakota could land it had to clear a ridge which resulted in too much height and speed for landing on the open ground. The Murray River had to be negotiated, which runs across the flat as a small gully, as well as the severe turbulence and only one functioning engine. In the few remaining seconds Laurie made the decision to stall the plane into the timber on the south-western side of the flat. There was a group of three trees in a triangle, which he attempted to position the plane between. Hopefully they would take the force of the wings and nose. One of the trees was a little further forward than anticipated and as the Dakota hit the timber it skewed around. A large eucalyptus crashed into the cockpit destroying the starboard side where Bernie Mullen sat. The port wing sheared off and one of the blades of the starboard propeller sliced through the floor of the signaler's compartment. Finally the plane came to a halt. Laurie recalls "the silence was deafening". Frank and Eric escaped with slight lacerations and they released Laurie who was trapped by his legs and had sustained a deep laceration to his calf. All were suffering from shock but fearing an explosion they dragged the unconscious Bernie away from the wreckage. Nothing could be done for him. He had multiple injuries and died a few minutes after the impact. The survivors set about finding some shelter and wondered if they would be rescued from this remote location and when it might be. The weather was cold and miserable. The only shelter was the chimney of an old stockman's hut ruin on the northern side of the flat. Fortunately the distress signal that Frank sent immediately prior to the crash had been received. A little over one hour after impact a RAAF search plane piloted by Flight Sergeant Frank Daniel located the survivors. Through a series of weighted paper messages search planes were able to communicate with those on the ground and drop them survival rations. Two ground search parties then set out. The first was led by Omeo policeman Lionel Baddeley and contained several men with local knowledge, amongst them four of the Pendergasts, one of the local pioneering mountain families. The second party was the RAAF search party led by Group Captain W. N. Gibson. Baddeley's party camped out then pushed on in the early hours of August 26. They drove as far as they could and then continued on foot via an old overgrown mining track for another 10 miles. Late that morning they reached the survivors. After a short rest the long trek out began. The airmen were stiff, sore and no doubt still in shock. Their rescuers were tired having already covered the rugged, densely vegetated terrain. In addition they had to carry out Bernie Mullen's body on a bush stretcher made from saplings. All found the trip arduous. Just before nightfall they reached the vehicles. From there they drove to Benambra and spent the night at the pub. Frank Howie recalls "After the hospitality of the locals in the public bar no one needed rocking that night." The next day the airmen returned to Sale. Before long Laurie Hawes was flying again. It was business as normal and the flat at the headwaters of the Murray returned to its former tranquility. Nowadays there is little left of Dakota DC3, A65-50. The RAAF removed parts for the crash investigation and the Snowy Mountains Authority built a hut using materials salvaged from the shell. People wanting a souvenir of the site took the remainder piece by piece. With so little of the aircraft left, the story of Dakota DC-3, A65-50 was likely to be lost and with it another part of our alpine heritage. Historian's Noel Gough and Dianne Carroll have spent a great deal of time and effort researching this story and documenting it. They tracked down survivors of the crash and their rescuers and a reunion was held to mark the event on 15th and 16th March this year at the Benambra Hotel, where the aircrew was first taken after their ordeal. Staff attended the gathering from Alpine and Kosciuszko National Parks who now manage the grassy flat where the DC-3 came to rest. As one of the attendees at the reunion, it was a privilege to hear the survivors and rescuers recount their versions of the events first hand. A commemorative souvenir has been produced which gives a full account of this story. It is available from Dianne Carrol.
Crew:
F/Lt Laurie Hawes, pilot,
F/O Bernard Mullein, copilot, †
F/Lt Eric Walker, navigator,
P/O Frank Howie, signaler.
Source:
Amanda Carey Ranger
Namadgi National Park
ACT Parks & Conservation Service
Despite the credit given above to Gough and Carroll, it was Canberra historian Matthew Higgins who researched and wrote the story of the plane’s last flight, the crash, and the rescue. It is his article that appears in the commemorative souvenir booklet, though without adequate acknowledgement.

While landing off the island, the seaplane hit a swell, lost a float and came to rest. There were no casualties but the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair.