Ballarat – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

DerekB10/03/202511/05/2025

Ticket sales have closed for the DC-3 flights from Essendon to Ballarat 17 & 18 May 2025

The Ballarat branch of the Air Force Association (BAFA) is chartering the Shortstop Jetcharter (SJC) Douglas DC-3 VH-OVM to operate Essendon-Ballarat return flights on...

1944 A USAAF Consolidated B-24 Liberator accidentally lost part of its load while it was flying over Adelaide on 22 August 1944. Rude shock to Adelaidians as Liberator Bomber Drops Liquor & Eggs on Adelaide, 22nd August, 1944. Residents of West Parkway, Colonel Light Gardens, were showered with champagne, sparkling burgundy, beer, coca-cola, eggs, and oranges about 8 a.m. today. The shower came in crates and bottles accidentally dropped from a big, low-flying American bomber. Part of a bomb-bay also dropped. The crates and bottles smashed holes in roofs of houses, ripped gaps in fences, and gave residents a nasty fright. Several children had narrow escapes from injury, but no one was hurt. Narrow Escapes The general feeling in the district after the excitement had died down was disappointment that so much good liquor was wasted. Two bottles of champagne were reported to have survived the fall, but they could not be located. At the home of Mr. H.A. Pittard, of 98 West Parkway, one bottle of coca-cola smashed through the bathroom window, showered six-year-old Marlene Kingdon, Mr. Pittard’s grand-daughter, with the drink - but did not hurt her. John Kingdon, 21 months, was in the back yard when a crate of beer hit a lemon tree, took 6ft out of the fence on its way through to Mrs. L.F. McDonald’s yard. John ran inside looking for his mother, and then began to cry. Mrs. McDonald, who was recently returned from hospital, was in bed when a carton of coca-cola crashed through her back verandah roof. That, with the roar of the plane, a four-engined Liberator, convinced her that the plane had crashed in the back yard. Mr. Ryan, the man who collected the unbroken coca-cola, was in his yard, painting a chair, when he heard the roar of the approaching bomber, and saw it appear over the roofs to the north. Then he saw objects falling from it as it flew at a height of about 150 ft. He dashed into his garage for protection, realized that Mary, his six-year-old daughter, was still outside, ran back to get her. By this time the plane had passed over their house, and three cartons of coca-cola had landed in the backyard. Mary was crying but unhurt. The Adelaide News, Tuesday 22 August 1944. BOMBER INCIDENT REPORT. Plane Part “Faulty” Failure of a rack in the bomb bay caused the shower of champagne, sparkling burgundy, beer, coca-cola, eggs, and oranges from a low-flying U.S. Liberator on to a number of houses in Colonel Light Gardens on August 22. This was announced by a U.S. Army spokesman today following the completion of an official inquiry into the accident. He said that the accident was caused by the development of a weakness in a non-standard rack which was fitted in the bomb bay. The rack had been adapted so that the Liberator could carry supplies instead of bombs, and when it failed portion of the cargo fell out and burst through the bomb-bay doors, tearing one off . “NOT JETTISONED” All planes were carefully inspected before they were allowed to take off , but there was a hidden weakness in this case which had caused the cargo to fall. It had been established positively that the supplies had not been purposely jettisoned, said the spokesman. After he took off on a flight with supplies for U.S. troops, the pilot experienced minor trouble with the motors and was turning to go back to the aerodrome which he had left shortly before the accident. People whose property had been damaged had been interviewed by U.S. Army representatives with a view in settling the costs. Total damage would probably not amount to more than £30. The happening had been purely accidental. It was regretted that it had happened, and steps had been taken to see that there would be no repetition. The Adelaide News, Wednesday, 6 September 1944.