Akitio - Hastings

On July 21, 1935 at 09:45 AM, Akitio - Hastings experienced a crash involving De Havilland DH.60 Moth, operated by Private New Zealand, with the event recorded near Wakarara Hawke's Bay Regional Council.

The flight was categorized as private 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 and owner Hamish F. Armstrong was performing a flight from his farm in Akitio to Hastings. En route, he encountered poor weather conditions and low visibility and the aircraft diverted from the prescribed course to the northwest. While cruising, the single engine aircraft hit a hillside in the forest of Ruahine, near Wakarara. SAR found the debris two weeks later at an altitude of 1,200 metres, some 30 metres from the summit. No trace of the pilot was ever found. Injured, he probably walked away to find rescue but he did not have the appropriate clothes against the low temperature and did not have food as well.

Aircraft reference details include registration ZK-ABM, MSN 1127, year of manufacture 1930.