Date & Time:
Mar 21, 1931 at 1315 LT
Type of aircraft:
Avro 618 Ten
Operator:
Registration:
VH-UMF
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Sydney – Melbourne
MSN:
241
YOM:
1929
Country:
Australia
Region:
Oceania
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
2
Pax on board:
6
Pax fatalities:
6
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
The three engine aircraft departed Sydney at 0810LT bound for Melbourne. En route, the crew encountered strong unfavorable winds and the weather conditions worsened with poor visibility. The aircraft named 'Southern Cloud' hit the slope of a mountain located in the Snowy Mountains, in the Kosciuszko National Park, west of Jindabyne. SAR were initiated but no trace of the aircraft nor the eight occupants were found, so all operations were eventually suspended. On 26 October 1958, more than 27 years later, Tom Sonter, a man aged 22, found the wreckage while on a walk in the bush. The crash occurred in a very inaccessible area.
Crew:
Travis W. Shortridge, pilot,
Charles I. Dunnell, copilot.
Passengers:
Elsie May Glasgow,
Clyde C. Hood,
Hubert A. Farall,
Julian Margules,
William O’Reilly,
Claire Stokes.
Crew:
Travis W. Shortridge, pilot,
Charles I. Dunnell, copilot.
Passengers:
Elsie May Glasgow,
Clyde C. Hood,
Hubert A. Farall,
Julian Margules,
William O’Reilly,
Claire Stokes.
Probable cause:
The aircraft deviated from the prescribed flight path due to unfavorable winds. The crew failed to see and avoid the mountain due to low visibility and poor weather conditions.
