Port Moresby – Kokoda

On November 17, 1953 at 12:00 AM, Port Moresby – Kokoda experienced a crash involving De Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth, operated by Papuan Air Transport - Patair, with the event recorded near Kokoda Central.

The flight was categorized as cargo and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

1 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 1 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is weather. The single engine airplane was performing a cargo flight from Port Moresby to Kokoda, carrying mail, freezer meat, bread, Christmas parcels and general cargo. The pilot Frank Goosens remembers: "I had to circle and circle to climb over the Gap. I jumped over the ridge to get over Lake Myola, and had to tackle one more ridge. Instead of getting an updraft, I was in a downdraft, tried to turn back and in doing so, dodging around the hills, I fell into a spin, caught not get out and wrapped the Fox Moth around a tree. The plane was a wreck but apart from a bleeding forehead I was unscratched. Everything in front of the pilot's cabin was crushed. The engine was pushed right back and must have just missed my head." Frank Goosens attempted to walk out of the jungle on the Kokoda Trail, but after being seen by a searching DC-3, returned to the wreck and slept in the cockpit for two nights while waiting the arrival of the ground search party.

Aircraft reference details include registration VH-UTY, MSN 4041, year of manufacture 1933.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately -9.2064°, 147.6236°.