Date & Time:
Mar 14, 1954 at 0420 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Registration:
VH-BBV
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Cargo
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Mackay – Rockhampton
MSN:
12360
YOM:
1944
Country:
Australia
Region:
Oceania
Crew on board:
2
Crew fatalities:
2
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
One minute after its takeoff from Mackay Airport, while climbing by night, the twin engine aircraft went out of control and plunged into the sea off Mackay. The aircraft was destroyed and both crew members were killed. The crew was completing a cargo flight from Mackay to Rockhampton, carrying a load of newspapers.
Probable cause:
The assumption that the loss of control was the result of a bird strike was not ruled out.
