Brisbane – Lismore – Sydney

On February 19, 1937 at 01:50 PM, Brisbane – Lismore – Sydney experienced a crash involving Stinson Model A, operated by Airlines of Australia, with the event recorded near McPherson Range Queensland.

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

7 people were known to be on board, 5 fatalities were recorded, 2 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 71.4%.

Crew on board: 2, crew fatalities: 2, passengers on board: 5, passenger fatalities: 3, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is weather. The three engine aircraft christened 'City of Brisbane' was performing a regular schedule flight from Brisbane to Sydney with an intermediate stop in Lismore. Some 40 minutes after takeoff from Brisbane-Archerfield Airport, while cruising in marginal weather conditions over the McPherson Range, the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in a dense wooded area. Both crewmen and two passengers were killed while three passengers survived. They walked away to find help but one of them (James Westray) died when he fall down a ravine. Eventually, on March 1st, 1937, last two survivors (John Proud and Joseph Binstead) met Bernard O'Reilly, a bushman and were rescued. Crew: Rex Boyden, pilot, † Beverley Shepherd, copilot. † Passengers: R. Graham, † W. Fountain, † James Westray, † John Proud, Joseph Binstead.

Aircraft reference details include registration VH-UHH, MSN 9126, year of manufacture 1936.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately -28.3069°, 153.1430°.