Date & Time:
Dec 11, 1951 at 1144 LT
Type of aircraft:
Airspeed AS.65 Consul
Operator:
Registration:
NZ1902
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Wigram – Rukuhia – Ohakea
MSN:
3927
YOM:
1946
Country:
New Zealand
Region:
Oceania
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
3
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was completing a flight from Wigram AFB to Ohakea with an intermediate stop in Rukuhia, carrying a load of spare parts. While cruising at an altitude of 8,900 feet in poor weather conditions, the twin engine aircraft hit the east slope of the Te Heuheu peak located in the Ruapehu Mountain range. The wreckage was found about 50 feet below the summit and all three crew members have been killed.
Probable cause:
At the time of the accident, the visibility was reduced by the presence of clouds and it was determined that the accident was the result of a controlled flight into terrain.
