Perth – Broome – Darwin
Flight / Schedule
Perth – Broome – Darwin
Aircraft
Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3)Registration
41-20066
MSN
4836
Year of Manufacture
1941
Date
February 26, 1942 at 12:00 AM
Type
CRASHFlight Type
Military
Flight Phase
Landing (descent or approach)
Crash Site
Plain, Valley
Crash Location
Truscott AFB Western Australia
Region
Oceania • Australia
Crash Cause
Technical failure
Narrative Report
On February 26, 1942 at 12:00 AM, Perth – Broome – Darwin experienced a crash involving Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3), operated by United States Army Air Forces - USAAF, with the event recorded near Truscott AFB Western Australia.
The flight was categorized as military and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a plain, valley crash site.
6 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 6 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.
Crew on board: 4, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 2, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.
The listed crash cause is technical failure. The crew was performing a flight from Perth to Darwin with an intermediate stop in Broome. By night, the crew overflew Broome and was unable to locate the airport. He continued to the northeast until the fuel tanks were empty. Due to fuel exhaustion, the captain decided to attempt an belly emergency landing on a field located 10 km southwest of Truscott, some 400 miles northeast of Broome. While the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and abandoned on site, all six occupants were rescued few days later. Crew: 2nd Lt Ray Van Diver, pilot, Mel Lewis, copilot, Sgt Buck Lambert, flight engineer, Cpl Mal Scharp, radio operator. Passengers: David Campbell, Jack Lyons. Photos: http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/c-53/41-20066.html
Aircraft reference details include registration 41-20066, MSN 4836, year of manufacture 1941.
Fatalities
Total
0
Crew
0
Passengers
0
Other
0
Crash Summary
The crew was performing a flight from Perth to Darwin with an intermediate stop in Broome. By night, the crew overflew Broome and was unable to locate the airport. He continued to the northeast until the fuel tanks were empty. Due to fuel exhaustion, the captain decided to attempt an belly emergency landing on a field located 10 km southwest of Truscott, some 400 miles northeast of Broome. While the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and abandoned on site, all six occupants were rescued few days later. Crew: 2nd Lt Ray Van Diver, pilot, Mel Lewis, copilot, Sgt Buck Lambert, flight engineer, Cpl Mal Scharp, radio operator. Passengers: David Campbell, Jack Lyons. Photos: http://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/c-53/41-20066.html
Cause: Technical failure
Occupants & Outcome
Crew On Board
4
Passengers On Board
2
Estimated Survivors
6
Fatality Rate
0.0%
Known people on board: 6
Operational Details
Schedule / Flight
Perth – Broome – Darwin
Flight Type
Military
Flight Phase
Landing (descent or approach)
Crash Site
Plain, Valley
Region / Country
Oceania • Australia
Aircraft Details
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