Lae – Daru – Horn Island – Sydney
Flight / Schedule
Lae – Daru – Horn Island – Sydney
Aircraft
De Havilland DH.84 DragonRegistration
VH-AKX
MSN
2061
Year of Manufacture
1943
Operator
Mandated AirlinesDate
May 12, 1948 at 12:00 AM
Type
CRASHFlight Type
Positioning
Flight Phase
Flight
Crash Site
Plain, Valley
Crash Location
Turnagain Island Queensland
Region
Oceania • Australia
Coordinates
-9.5618°, 142.2888°
Crash Cause
Weather
Narrative Report
On May 12, 1948 at 12:00 AM, Lae – Daru – Horn Island – Sydney experienced a crash involving De Havilland DH.84 Dragon, operated by Mandated Airlines, with the event recorded near Turnagain Island Queensland.
The flight was categorized as positioning and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.
1 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 1 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.
Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.
The listed crash cause is weather. On May 11, the pilot John Spiers left Lae on a ferry flight to Sydney for the annual CofA renewal. On May 12, he departed Daru for Horn Island. Halfway across Torres Strait, he encountered a severe rain storm and turned back to Daru. At low level over sea, the pilot saw a small low mudflat island, so made a forced landing there, wrecking the Dragon. No radio on the aircraft, so Spiers waited to be found. A search was made by a Mandated Airlines C-47 with pilots Brian Carpenter and Tom Deegan as far south as the Australian Gulf country for 3 days. When returning to Daru from Horn Island, they spotted the Dragon on the mudflat island with Spiers sitting on the roof of the aircraft. He had been unable to find food and at high tide the island was mostly under water, so he stayed in the cabin of the Dragon while the sea gradually broke up the aircraft for 6 days without food, surviving by drinking rainwater. RAAF Catalina from Port Moresby landed off Turnagain Island, sent a crew member ashore in a rubber dinghy to collect Spiers. A storm blew up so Catalina returned to Moresby, leaving the two men on the island. They were rescued by a pearling lugger sent from Thursday Island. Source: http://www.goodall.com.au
Aircraft reference details include registration VH-AKX, MSN 2061, year of manufacture 1943.
Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately -9.5618°, 142.2888°.
Fatalities
Total
0
Crew
0
Passengers
0
Other
0
Crash Summary
On May 11, the pilot John Spiers left Lae on a ferry flight to Sydney for the annual CofA renewal. On May 12, he departed Daru for Horn Island. Halfway across Torres Strait, he encountered a severe rain storm and turned back to Daru. At low level over sea, the pilot saw a small low mudflat island, so made a forced landing there, wrecking the Dragon. No radio on the aircraft, so Spiers waited to be found. A search was made by a Mandated Airlines C-47 with pilots Brian Carpenter and Tom Deegan as far south as the Australian Gulf country for 3 days. When returning to Daru from Horn Island, they spotted the Dragon on the mudflat island with Spiers sitting on the roof of the aircraft. He had been unable to find food and at high tide the island was mostly under water, so he stayed in the cabin of the Dragon while the sea gradually broke up the aircraft for 6 days without food, surviving by drinking rainwater. RAAF Catalina from Port Moresby landed off Turnagain Island, sent a crew member ashore in a rubber dinghy to collect Spiers. A storm blew up so Catalina returned to Moresby, leaving the two men on the island. They were rescued by a pearling lugger sent from Thursday Island. Source: http://www.goodall.com.au
Cause: Weather
Occupants & Outcome
Crew On Board
1
Passengers On Board
0
Estimated Survivors
1
Fatality Rate
0.0%
Known people on board: 1
Operational Details
Schedule / Flight
Lae – Daru – Horn Island – Sydney
Operator
Mandated AirlinesFlight Type
Positioning
Flight Phase
Flight
Crash Site
Plain, Valley
Region / Country
Oceania • Australia
Aircraft Details
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