DC-3 – 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...

1975 Bristol Freighter 21E VH-SJQ of Air Express crashed in Bass Strait off Cape Paterson 40 km south of Wonthaggi, Victoria following an engine failure on 10 May 1975. The flight departed from Essendon Airport at 0050 hours. At 0122 hours the flight reported to the Melbourne Flight Service Unit (FSU) that it was then at the Westgate reporting point cruising at 3500 feet, and its estimated time of arrival at the West Bass reporting point was 0159 hours. At 0145:44 hours VH-SJQ advised the Melbourne FSU "we have an engine failure on the port side, we have it feathered and are returning to Melbourne". In response to a request from the FSU the flight advised it was able to maintain height "at the moment". At 0148:54 VH-SJQ confirmed that "the port engine has failed and is feathered" and shortly thereafter advised an estimated time of arrival at the Primegate reporting point en route to Essendon Airport. The Uncertainty Phase of the search and rescue procedures was declared by the Melbourne Air Traffic Control Unit (ATC). At 0151:58 hours the flight advised the Melbourne FSU "we are making a slow descent to one five zero zero" and, in answer to a query, reported "we're unable to maintain our height with our rated power". The Alert Phase of the search and rescue procedures was declared by Melbourne ATC, and a Bristol 170 Mark 31 aircraft en route from Launceston to Essendon Airport was diverted to intercept VH-SJQ and act as an escort. At 0157:46 hours VH-SJQ reported "four eight DME Wonthaggi", and shortly thereafter, reported "tracking one eight three on the Wonthaggi VOR". At 0203:00 hours VH-SJQ transmitted a distress call and reported "we've passed fifteen hundred feet and still going down". The position of the aircraft at 0203:57 hours was reported as "on the one eight six radial Wonthaggi and we are three seven DME". The Distress Phase of the search and rescue procedures was declared by Melbourne ATCand a second northbound aircraft was diverted to intercept VH-SJQ. At 0204:32 hours VH-SJQ reported "we're down to nine hundred feet at the moment"; at 0207:42 hrs, "at six hundred feet at the moment"; at 0212:55 hours, "two two DME"; at 0213:22 hours, altitude was 200 feet; 0214:31 hours, "we're down to one hundred feet"; and, at 0215:23 hours, "this is a final MAYDAY call, we are approximately one eight DMEand our altimeters registering zero feet". Melbourne FSU then transmitted a ditching report of moderate seas with a moderate south-westerly swell; this was acknowledged by VH-SJQ. The escort aircraft then heard further transmissions from VH-SJQ which indicated that both altimeters were reading zero; the crew could see the tops of waves; and DME distances of 16, 15 and 14 were transmitted, the latter being the last transmission heard from the aircraft the time being about 0218 hours. Neither of the escort aircraft sighted VH-SJQ. Air, sea and beach searches were carried out: the air and sea searches were discontinued at nightfall on 11 May 1975, and the beach search 48 hours later. The first sighting of wreckage was made at 0945 hours on 10 May 1975, and some two hours later a vessel recovered the body of the radio operator from the sea south-east of Cape Paterson. The life jacket on the body was punctured and another uninflated life jacket was found floating nearby. The rubber dinghy which had been carried in VH-SJQ was found, inflated, in the sea some 8 kilometres downwind from the body of the radio operator. There were two fatalities. During the period 25 September to 2 October 1975 a detailed underwater sonar search in association with a team of divers was undertaken by a naval vessel. The fuselage section aft of the rear cargo door, but not including the rudder and fin, was located in some 40 metres of water 4.6 kilometres south east of Cape Paterson. Attempts to raise it for detailed examination were not successful. The search was resumed over the period 10-12 October 1975 but no other aircraft wreckage was located. The pilot did not indicate in detail the nature of the difficulties he was experiencing, and as the majority of the aircraft wreckage has not been found it has not been possible to determine why he shut down the port engine. Source: ATSB investigation number 197502854

1998 Barry Markham (AUS) set a record for Speed over a recognised course (Powered Aeroplanes C-1b ) of 116.6 km/h on 10 May 1998. Barry flew DH.82 Tiger Moth VH-NOV from Perth to London, this record was recognised for the Perth to Singapore leg. Source: FAI Records website, ID=6171