Richmond - Canberra

On February 11, 1926 at 12:00 AM, Richmond - Canberra experienced a crash involving De Havilland DH.9, operated by Royal Australian Air Force - RAAF, with the event recorded near Canberra Australian Capital Territory.

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

2 people were known to be on board, 2 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: 1, passenger fatalities: 1, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. Aircraft was carrying a pilot and a photographer for a topographic mission over the Murrumbidgee River. Flying at an altitude of about 150 feet, the plane was about to land at Ainslie, near Canberra, when it nose-dived and crashed in flames to the ground. A farm-hand, named Walter Johnston, who was ploughing 50 yards away, saw the smash and rushed to the scene. By the time he arrived the aeroplane had burst into flame. After crashing, the plane burst into flames and Flying-Officer Pitt was burnt to death. Observer Callendar was terribly injured and died in the Canberra Hospital a few hours after the accident. With the pilot and the observer dead, the cause of the disaster probably will never be known. Onlookers who saw the smash say the machine, when about to make a landing, seemed to lose flying speed and nose-dived to the ground at a terrific rate. Source: www.3squadron.org.au

Aircraft reference details include registration A6-28, MSN C6323.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately -35.2965°, 149.1296°.