AHSA Newsletter October 2016 – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

1924 WGCDR Stanley James Goble and FLTLT Ivor Ewing McIntyre continued their around-Australia flight in Fairey IIID A10-3. At 7.30 a.m. on 16 April 1924 the rain cleared slightly and they took off for Thursday Island. In Princess Charlotte Bay they passed the S.S. "Eastern" which greeted the fliers with several blasts on the ship's whistle. From this point the conditions deteriorated; all the way to Cape Sidmouth they flew through heavy rain. Goble could hardly see McIntyre in the front cockpit, and the Fairey was becoming very difficult to control; once the wheel was wrenched from McIntyre's hands. They force landed on the open sea and after discussion decided to try to climb over the clouds, but this proved hopeless as the clouds were a solid mass. They then headed out to sea and flew a compass course up the coast. Reconnaissance of the coast was negligible as it was sighted only a few times. On arrival at Thursday Island they found a big squall hanging almost over the town, and had to dive around it to make a landing. Arrangements had been made by the mechanic. Corporal Gurr, with a local pearler, Mr. Hocking, to use his boat slipway for repairs. For the next five days the rain fell continuously. The enforced halt gave the crew a chance to have the machine overhauled and to have it patched up generally. The floats were found to be leaking again, and would have to be replaced, necessitated lifting the 2½-ton aircraft to slip the new floats underneath. As there were no cranes or derricks on the island, two special sheerlegs, 50 ft. long and eight inches square, were erected. It took 1½ days to get them into position; then the aircraft was lifted by block and tackle and the new floats fitted. It was Impossible to swing the new compass in the pilot's cockpit and to correct the deviations as there were no turntables available and the tides were too strong. As Goble had the master compass, he tied a pair of string reins to McIntyre's arms and guided him from the rear cockpit. Source: The First Round-Australia Flight, 1924 by Neville Parnell, AHSA Journal, vol 6, no 12, December 1965

1945 de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito FB Mk VI A52-501 operated by 1 Sqn RAAF crashed at Kingaroy Bombing Range near RAAF stn Kingaroy Airstrip, Queensland on 16 April 1945. The mainplane failed during a steep dive whilst practicing dive bombing. The crew, pilot PLTOFF L Rule and navigator PLTOFF KE Sparkes, were both killed. Sources: ADF-Serials; aviation-safety.net website

1945 de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito FB Mk 40 A52-70 operated by 5 OTU RAAF crashed at Barrington Tops National Park, Hunter Valley, New South Wales on 16 April 1945. The aircraft was one of four Mosquitoes on a routine cross-country flight to Moree, but did not return to Williamtown with the other aircraft. Search aircraft failed to locate any sign of the aircraft. In January 1946 wreckage was discovered in the Barrington Tops National Park and a coroner’s inquest decided A52-70 had flown into trees during fog or cloud. The crew, pilot FLTLT A Warren and FLGOFF G Bidstrup were both killed in the crash. Sources: ADF-Serials; aviation-safety.net website

1995 On 16 April 1995 CAA officers revealed a backlog of approximately 800 manufacturer warnings, apparently one month after the discovery of some 140 airworthiness directives that had not been implemented. Source: Australian, 28 March 1995, 17 April 1995. via aph.gov.au website