CAC Plant Reports 1941, numbers 74-85

The CAC Plant Reports for the first half of 1941 are shown in the viewer below. Click on the >> symbol for printing or downloading options.

Click here to view full-screen (opens a new tab)

1919 Captain Henry Wrigley and Sergeant Arthur William Murphy departed from Cunnamulla, Queensland and flew to Charleville, on Sunday 24 November 1919 on the seventh leg of an aerial survey of a suitable route from Melbourne to Darwin. Flying in the single-engined Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2e B6183, their northerly route of approximately 250km along the Warrego River took them over Congoola, Claverton, Wyandra, Yanna, Dillalah, Mangalore and Wallal. Maintenance was carried out on the engine at Charleville. Source: Tom Lockley, Wrigley and Murphy: Australia’s First Transcontinental Flight; AHSA (NSW) Inc., 2009.

1934 The second-last aircraft to complete the MacRobertson International Air Races was the Fairey IIIF G-AABY, race number 15, flown by RAF Flying Officer C.G. Davies and RAF Lieutenant Commander C.N. Hill which arrived in Melbourne on 24 November 1934. The team were not classified with a placing in either category of the race. Source: Aviation Heritage Vol 24 Nos 1 & 2, 1984

1999 Cessna 206A VH-XGR operated by Karumba Air Services crashed at off Sweers Island, 83km SSE of Mornington Island, Queensland on 24 November 1999. The pilot, who was based at Mornington Island, was tasked to convey passengers from Mornington Island to Normanton in a Cessna 206A registered VH-XGR. The pilot's intended track would have resulted in the aircraft overflying Bentinck Island, south-east of Mornington Island. The flight departed at about 09:15. Other pilots operating aircraft in the area reported that the weather conditions were not favourable for visual flight to the south of Mornington Island, but were acceptable to the north. Rain started to fall when VH-XGR taxied for departure. After a takeoff to the east, the aircraft was observed to turn left, and set course from overhead the airstrip. Soon after departure, the pilot was advised by the pilot of an aircraft maintaining 5,500 feet, and tracking for Karumba that the weather conditions en-route were a line of light showers. At 09:29 a pilot tracking from Doomadgee to Bentinck Island in a Cessna 206 operated by the same company as the accident aircraft was advised by the company through Brisbane Flight Service that visibility at Bentinck Island had reduced to 1,000 metres in rain. That pilot subsequently reported in the circuit area at Bentinck Island at 09:49. At 09:35, after obtaining the current position of the pilot tracking to Bentinck Island, the pilot of VH-XGR reported that he was now diverting to Burketown, passing 3,500 feet on climb to 5,500 feet. The two pilots then changed to a company frequency. No further report from the pilot of VH-XGR was recorded. The aircraft did not arrive at either Burketown or Normanton. A subsequent search found articles, identified as being from VH-XGR, in the water to the south of Bentinck Island. The damage sustained by these articles was consistent with the aircraft having struck the water at high speed. Examination of recorded weather radar data available from a radar site at Mornington Island indicated a band of weather extending from just south of Mornington Island to north of Bentinck Island, and beyond. To conduct the flight as intended, the pilot would have been required to negotiate this weather. Pilots who had arrived at Mornington Island before the departure of VH-XGR reported that the cloud did not contain any thunderstorm formations. Conditions under the cloud were assessed as not suitable for VFR flight due to reduced visibility in rain. The pilot was appropriately qualified and met the recent experience requirements to conduct the flight. His medical history did not indicate any condition that may have led to incapacitation. He had obtained a command multi-engine instrument rating nine months before the accident flight, but had not since conducted a flight in instrument meteorological conditions and had only flown a limited number of hours in simulated instrument flight conditions. The aircraft was not certified to operate in instrument meteorological conditions and was not fitted with an autopilot, nor was it required to be. Although it was equipped with appropriate instrumentation, there was no requirement that they be maintained to instrument flight standards. No evidence was found to indicate that the aircraft was other than serviceable for flight in visual meteorological conditions. Following an unsuccessful search for the aircraft, the investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau was terminated. At that time, in the absence of sufficient aircraft material to enable a comprehensive examination, it was not possible to determine the factors that led to the accident. In late 2001, Queensland Police sent the ATSB photographs and items of wreckage recovered from an area on the seabed near Sweers Island, east of Bentinck Island. Each photograph was examined and image enhancement techniques were employed to assist with closer inspection. On 8 March 2002, Queensland Police sent the ATSB a video of aircraft wreckage taken underwater at the accident site. The items of wreckage sent to the ATSB's engineering laboratory for examination, and the wreckage viewed on photographs and video, were consistent with having originated from a Cessna 206 aircraft. While positive identification of the aircraft VH-XGR was not possible, on the balance of probability it is likely that the wreckage was that of VH-XGR. The examination of the attitude indicator revealed that the aircraft impacted the water at an angle of bank of 135 degrees right-wing down (45 degrees inverted) and 35 degree nose-down attitude. That was consistent with the structural damage viewed on the photographs taken by the police. The damage to the airframe components and propeller blades, and the evidence from the attitude indicator were consistent with a high velocity impact with the water following a loss of control of the aircraft. The pilot's limited experience in instrument flight conditions may have been insufficient to prevent a loss of aircraft control had he inadvertently entered an area of low visibility in the Sweers Island area. Sources: ATSB investigation report 199905562; aviation-safety.net website