East Nusa Tenggara | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The crew was involved in a bombing mission to Penfoei with a crew of five. En route, while cruising jointly with three other similar aircrafts, crew was informed that weather was deteriorating at destination. As all three other aircraft's crew decided to return to their departure point, captain of A16-195 decided to continue. Few minutes later, while cruising in low visibility due to poor weather conditions, aircraft hit mount Kekneno located some 100 km northeast of Kupang and was destroyed on impact. Debris were found some days later and all five crew were killed.
Crew (2nd Squadron):
S/L C. C. Williams, pilot,
F/O R. C. Lindsay, air gunner,
F/O W. A. Hepworth, wireless operator and air gunner,
F/Lt A. M. Fowler, navigator,
F/Sgt D. C. Farmer.

Probable cause:

The pilot decided to continue the flight despite poor weather conditions and low visibility (below minima).

Crash of a Lockheed L-414 Hudson IIIA off Kupang: 4 killed

Date & Time: Oct 25, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

A16-170

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Batchelor - Batchelor

MSN:

414-6424

YOM:

1942

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew left Batchelor Airport to attack the Penfoei Airport with two other similar aircraft. Upon arrival in Kupang, the twin engine aircraft disappeared without trace. SAR operations were suspended few days later.
Crew (2nd Squadron):
F/Sgt R. K. Dunning,
Sgt M. L. Kenihan,
Sgt L. H. Fraser,
Sgt D. W. Francis.

Crash of a Lockheed L-414 Hudson IIIA near Kupang: 5 killed

Date & Time: Oct 1, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

A16-243

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Schedule:

Darwin – Kupang

MSN:

414-6496

YOM:

1942

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Disappeared in unknown circumstances in the region of Kupang, Indonesia, while performing a survey flight from Darwin to Kupang. SAR teams did not find any trace of the aircraft nor the crew.
Crew (13th Squadron):
P/O J. E. Alcock,
F/O G. V. Boynton,
F/O P. C. Gunson,
Sgt F. P. Kemp,
Sgt W. S. Powell.

Crash of a Lockheed L-414 Hudson IVA in Timor: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jun 2, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

A16-108

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Hughes - Hughes

MSN:

414-6037

YOM:

1941

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Following a strafing ground positions mission over Timor, while cruising at an altitude of 3,000 feet, the twin engine aircraft collided with another RAAF unidentified Lockheed L-414 Hudson. Out of control, the aircraft dove into the ground and crashed, killing all four crew members.
Crew (13th Squadron):
P/O Donald George Campbell, pilot,
P/O Robert Lester Gill,
Sgt Samuel Lindsay Inglis,
Sgt Lance Radford Kealley.

Crash of a Lockheed L-414 Hudson IVA off Kupang: 4 killed

Date & Time: Apr 14, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

A16-137

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Darwin – Kupang

MSN:

414-6066

YOM:

1941

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The twin engine aircraft left Darwin Airport at 0315 bound for Kupang. While approaching its destination, the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances into the sea. All four occupants were killed.
Crew (13th Squadron):
P/O Albert James Verdon Lockley,
P/O Patrick Goulston Taylor,
Sgt Kenneth Arthur Orchard,
Sgt Donald Thomas Thomson.

Crash of a Lockheed L-414 Hudson II in Penfui: 4 killed

Date & Time: Feb 14, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

A16-61

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

414-1914

YOM:

1940

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff from Kupang-Penfui Airport, while climbing, the twin engine airplane entered an area with severe thunderstorms with lightning, heavy rain falls and turbulences. It appears that the airplane was hit by lightning then entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed in a huge explosion in a field located 8 km south of the airport. All four occupants were killed.
Crew (13th Squadron):
F/O Geoffrey Gordon Mitchell,
P/O J. Goodfellow,
Sgt Charles Lawrence Motteram,
Sgt Keith Raynor.

Probable cause:

Hit by lightning.

Crash of a Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat off Kupang: 13 killed

Date & Time: Jan 30, 1942 at 0800 LT

Type of aircraft:

Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat

Operator:

Registration:

G-AEUH

Flight Phase:

Landing (descent or approach)

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Surabaya – Kupang – Darwin

MSN:

S.850

YOM:

1938

Flight number:

XWS160

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

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Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane was performing a special flight from Surabaya to Darwin with an intermediate stop in Kupang on behalf of Qantas Airways. While approaching Kupang, the floatplane named 'Corio' was shot down by a Japanese fighter and crashed into the sea few hundred yards offshore. The captain, the copilot and three passengers were able to swim to shore and were rescued while 13 other occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a Japanese fighter.

Crash of a Grumman G-21A Goose in Kupang: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jan 26, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Grumman G-21A Goose

Operator:

Registration:

PK-AFS

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Kupang - Kupang

MSN:

1081

YOM:

1940

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew departed Kupang-Penfui Airport to proceed with an aerial inspection of the area of Kupang to check the evacuation of the civilians because of the impending Japanese invasion. The floatplane was shot down by a Japanese fighter and crashed in an open field, killing the entire crew.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a Japanese fighter.

Crash of a Lockheed L-414 Hudson II in Kupang: 11 killed

Date & Time: Jan 20, 1942 at 1830 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

A16-79

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

414-1933

YOM:

1940

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Shortly after takeoff, while climbing to a height of 200-300 feet, the left engine caught fire. The airplane stalled and crashed on the runway, bursting into flames. All 11 occupants were killed.
Crew (2nd Squadron):
F/Lt Robert Wylie Cuming, pilot,
P/O Robert Henry Martin, copilot,
P/O P. H. Richards,
Sgt J. Bessell-Browne.
Passengers:
Sgt A. E. Blake,
Sgt Henry Jennings Dean,
Sgt Kevin Henry Kelaher,
LAC O. F. E. Crawford,
LAC Edmund Geoffrey Mears,
LAC Vincent Harold Smith,
LAC Frank Morris.

Probable cause:

It was determined that the airplane was overloaded, which affected the operation of the port engine that caught fire during the initial climb. A precipitated and incorrect trim adjustment on part of the crew and/or a structural failure following the loss of the port engine may be considered as contributing factors.

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