Date & Time:
Dec 10, 1941 at 0545 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lockheed L-414 Hudson
Operator:
Registration:
A16-69
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Darwin – Ambon
MSN:
414-1922
YOM:
1940
Country:
Australia
Region:
Oceania
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
4
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The twin engine airplane departed Darwin Airport at 0530LT on a flight to Ambon, Indonesia. Some 15 minutes into the flight, while cruising at an altitude of 400 feet, the airplane stalled and crashed into the sea, bursting into flames. All four crew members were killed.
Crew (13th Squadron):
W/Cdr Joshua Roger Gray McDonald, pilot,
F/O Ralph Henry Pope,
Sgt Wallace Roy Foreman,
Sgt Walter John Nagel.
Crew (13th Squadron):
W/Cdr Joshua Roger Gray McDonald, pilot,
F/O Ralph Henry Pope,
Sgt Wallace Roy Foreman,
Sgt Walter John Nagel.
Probable cause:
The accident was attributed to a crew error when the pilot decided to reduce the speed to 95 knots with flaps down to let two other aircrafts create a formation. This caused the aircraft to stall and spin into the sea.
