CAC Woomera – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

DerekB30/11/202223/11/2024

Australian aviation history digital archive

In its mission to preserve and promote Australia's aviation heritage, the AHSA hosts the following digital archives. Click on the image to go to...

DerekB27/04/202204/06/2023

The Aircraft Projects of Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation

This new book by author and AHSA member Joe Vella has just been published (April 2022). Joe began writing this book in 1983 when...

DerekB29/09/202027/12/2022

Australian-built Aircraft and the Industry (Vol 2) by Keith Meggs

The latest book released by author Keith Meggs Volume 2 of this encyclopaedic work (containing only one chapter, being chapter 15, spread across two...

1970 Auster J/1N Alpha VH-BTK crashed at Devon Downs, Blackhill, South Australia on 3 October 1970. The pilot, an enthusiastic light aircraft owner, had organised a week end "fly in" to his airstrip at Devon Downs, which was attended by light aircraft pilots and parachutists together with their families and friends. During the day a programme of general flying was carried out and late in the afternoon the pilot flew to nearby Scrubby Flat with the two passengers to pick up some sleeping bags. The passenger in the right hand front seat was also a qualified pilot but the right hand control column had been removed earlier in the day to permit parachute dropping and had not been replaced. The people assembled at the airstrip at Devon Downs first sighted the aircraft on its return as it climbed up from the nearby Murray River valley which, in this area, is bordered by 200 feet high cliffs. The aircraft then made a shallow descent and flew along the strip on a heading of about 250 degrees, at a very low height. At the western end of the strip the aircraft pulled up steeply to between 200 and 300 feet above the ground and began a "wingover" turn manoeuvre to the left. As the turn progressed to the point at which the wings were steeply banked and the fuselage approximately horizontal, the spectators saw the aircraft falter, then the nose dropped and the aircraft dived into the ground at a very steep angle. A fierce fire broke out immediately on impact and the aircraft was completely destroyed. There were 3 fatalities. Sources: ATSB investigation number 197003835; aviation-safety.net website

1982 R.H. (Dick) Smith set a record for speed over a recognised course (in the category of Turbine Rotorcraft E-1, 2) of 35.56 km/h on 3 October 1982 for his flight from London to Sydney in a Bell 206B Jet Ranger. Source: FAI Records website, ID=10272

1997 Mooney M20J VH-KUE operated crashed 113 km NNE of Balranald, NSW on 3 October 1997. The aircraft was being flown from Adelaide to Dubbo in accordance with instrument flight rules. At 1921 EST, the pilot reported over Mildura maintaining 9,000 ft, and estimating abeam Griffith at 2026 on a direct track to Dubbo. The weather in the area was clear, with no restrictions to visibility, and scattered cloud at 30,000 ft. Sky conditions were dark, with no moon. At 1958 the pilot made a routine frequency change, and 8 minutes later advised Melbourne Flight Service (FS) there had been a loss of vacuum and that he was returning to Mildura. In response to enquiries from FS the pilot advised that he had 'electric backups' and felt it safer to return to Mildura. He also confirmed his approach and landing would not be affected, and that his estimated time of arrival would be 2029. At 2007 FS asked the pilot for his approximate distance from Mildura. The pilot asked FS to repeat the request, but subsequently failed to reply. Further attempts to contact the pilot were unsuccessful. The last recorded radio transmission from the pilot was at 2007:49. An uncertainty phase was declared after communication and ground checks failed to establish the location of the aircraft. A local resident reported seeing the lights of an aircraft shortly after 2000, and then hearing the sounds of an impact. The wreckage of the aircraft was subsequently found some hours later. The accident was non-survivable. An examination of the wreckage indicated the aircraft had impacted the ground at high speed, in a steep nose-down attitude, consistent with loss of control. With the exception of the vacuum system, the aircraft was considered to have been capable of normal operation prior to impact. There were 3 fatalities. Sources: ATSB investigation number 199703221; aviation-safety.net website

2008 On 3 October 2008 CASA suspended for 40 days, for the second time in the year, the operations of Lip Air Pty Ltd, which traded as Aero Tropics Air Services, following engine failure in two separate incidents in the previous week. Source: CASA, ‘CASA suspends Far North Queensland airline’, Media Release, 4 October 2008. via aph.gov.au website