Amberley - Brisbane

On August 16, 1945 at 03:40 PM, Amberley - Brisbane experienced a crash involving Consolidated B-24 Liberator, operated by Royal Australian Air Force - RAAF, with the event recorded near Amberley Queensland.

The flight was categorized as military and the reported phase was takeoff (climb) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

19 people were known to be on board, 4 fatalities were recorded, 15 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 21.1%.

Crew on board: 8, crew fatalities: 2, passengers on board: 11, passenger fatalities: 2, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. Crashed during takeoff from Amberley Airfield. Unfortunately the B-24 Liberator's brakes were applied too soon before the aircraft was safely in the air. As a consequence the nose of the aircraft dipped heavily into the runway causing the nose wheel assembly to collapse and also shearing the hydraulic lines for the engine controls. The aircraft subsequently skidded off the south east end of the runway into a 60 feet deep gulley and broke in half. Crew (99th Squadron): S/Ldr William Lloyd Milne, pilot W/O Eric Ferdinand Carlson, copilot, † F/Sgt Jack Grant Watson, flight engineer, F/Sgt Marcel Kingsley Doolan, radar operator, F/Sgt Warwick Manning Lane, air gunner, F/Sgt Andrew Keith Cochrane, wireless operator and air gunner, F/Sgt Allan Charles Annetts, air gunner, F/Sgt Arthur Henry Clausen, navigator. † Passengers: Sgt John Raymond Slennett Sgt John Knyvett Cpl Jacqueline Ruth Row, † Cpl Edith Tansley Sharpe, † Acw Ruth Beryl Burcher, LAC Waterman James Albert LAC William Angus Ludbey, AC1 Keith William Carlier, LAC Douglas Charles Mighell, LAC Leslie Arthur White, LAC Mervyn John Edward Thornberry. Source: http://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes/qld245.htm

Aircraft reference details include registration A72-306.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately -27.6304°, 152.6980°.