CAC Plant Reports 1941, numbers 74-85

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1922 During an attempted flight around Australia, Ray Parer and his cousin Mark Parer were injured while attempting to take off from the Boulder racecourse in Western Australia. Their F.E.2b aircraft G-AUCX rose into the air but the engine was backfiring continuously and they failed to gain altitude. Ray Parer attempted to turn back to the racecourse and it appears the aircraft may have stalled, colliding with a telegraph pole guy-wire on Burt Street. Mark Parer was thrown out of the front cockpit and was badly injured. Ray was removed from the wreckage of the rear cockpit by onlookers. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and their attempt to fly around Australia was over. Source: parerhistory.wordpress.com website

1940 Douglas DC-2-185 VH-USY operated by Australian National Airways ANA crash-landed near Dimboola VIC on 8 February 1940 after an engine fire. The aircraft was substantially damaged.

1970 On 8 February 1970 Flight Lieutenant Chris Langton (RAAF) ejected from his aircraft during a Forward Air Control (FAC) combat misson in Vietnam. Langton had joined the RAAF in 1962 and after completing pilot training, flew Sabres and Mirage fighter aircraft both in Australia and at Butterworth. In 1969, he was selected to be in the fifth batch of RAAF pilots to fly Forward Air Control Missions in Vietnam. He arrived in Vietnam direct from his posting to 75 Squadron, Butterworth. Langton was seconded to Dau Tieng, a forward operating base supporting US Army 1st Division elements near the Cambodian border about 70km northwest of Saigon. It was the hub of significant North Vietnamese Army Regular forces armed with significant anti-aircraft weapons. On 8 February 1970, FLTLT Langton was tasked with supporting the extraction of a US Army long range reconnaissance patrol that had requested immediate extraction being confronted by a large enemy force. Flying a USAF OV-10 Bronco aircraft, he was coordinating the air support for the helicopter extraction when at only 1,400 feet altitude, the aircraft controls froze and he lost control of the aircraft. It was later found the aircraft may have been struck by .30 calibre enemy fire. Both FLTLT Langton and his US crewman subsequently ejected from the aircraft at only 1,000 feet. A supporting US LOH-6 helicopter identified Langton on the ground and proceeded to rescue him only to be hit by enemy fire itself and crash throwing Langton to the ground again from about 30 feet. Unhurt, Langton proceeded to assist the crew of the shot down helicopter that had meant to rescue him. Establishing a temporary defensive position, the two crews remained under cover until a US Army Iroquois arrived after almost 30 minutes to winch them all to safety. FLTLT Langton survived the ordeal of being shot down to fly a total of 549 hours on 227 FAC missions during his tour in Vietnam. In all, 36 RAAF pilots served in various USAF units in Vietnam between 1966 and 1970 performing the dangerous task of Forward Air Controller. They all served with distinction with many awarded either the Distinguished Flying Cross or the Distinguished Service Order. Despite the risky nature of their missions, all survived their tours in Vietnam. Meanwhile, the USAF lost 224 FAC aircrew at a loss rate of ten percent. Source: Air Force Association - SA Division