Popondetta – Port Moresby

On March 8, 1961 at 12:00 AM, Popondetta – Port Moresby experienced a crash involving Piaggio P.166 Albatross, operated by Papuan Air Transport - Patair, with the event recorded near Mt Owen Stanley Oro (Northern).

The flight was categorized as cargo and the reported phase was flight at a mountains crash site.

1 people were known to be on board, 1 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

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

The listed crash cause is human factor. The pilot Geoffrey Wallace was performing a cargo flight from Popondetta to Port Moresby and encountered poor weather conditions en route. At an altitude of 9,400 feet, the twin engine aircraft struck trees and crashed on Mt Owen Stanley. SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the pilot was found. In October 1970, while searching for a missing Piper Aztec, the wreckage of the Piaggio was found.

Aircraft reference details include registration VH-PAU, MSN 366, year of manufacture 1960.