Date:	Sunday 16 January 2011
Time:	17:20
Type:	De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Darling Downs Tiger Moths Pty Ltd
Registration:	VH-WHW
MSN:	DHA.732
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	near Table Top Mountain, Blanchview, East of Toowoomba, Qld -   Australia
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport:	Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia (YTWB)
Destination airport:	Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia (YTWB)
Investigating agency:	ATSB
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN DHA.732: Built by DeHavilland Australia at Bankstown, Sydney, NSW. Delivered to Southern Rhodesia as DX644. For sale by tender 31.10.45; offers not accepted.

Sold 1946 to A P Thorne, Salisbury, Rhodesia. Struck off charge 12.3.47 as sold locally. Registered in Rhodesia as VP-YDC 5.2.46 to A P Thorne, Salisbury. Re-registered [by 6.46] to H C Thorn, Salisbury (later Ruwa), Rhodesia. C of A lapsed 19.12.52. Regd 4th Quarter of 1953 (i.e., between 30.9.53 and 31.12.53) to J S McKone, Salisbury, Rhodesia. C of A renewed 14.3.54. Re-registered 2nd Quarter of 1955 (i.e., between 1.4.55 and 30.6.55) to David L Bishop, Salisbury, Rhodesia. Re-registered 4th Quarter of 1956 to (i.e., between 30.9.56 and 31.12.56) to Desmond Tennett, Luchenza, Nyasaland. Re-registered in Malawi as 7Q-YDC 4th Quarter of 1964 (i.e. between 30.9.64 and 31.12.64) to D Tennett, Luchenza. C of A lapsed 23.1.66.

Re-registered in Rhodesia as VP-YDC to Bindura Gliding Club. Re-registered in 1976 to YDC Syndicate. To Colin Taylor, Bindura, Zimbabwe (by 1983). Sold to C Strecker, South Africa.

Re-registered in South Africa as ZS-LUE 4.8.87 to CJ Strecker, Rand, South Africa. Rebuilt 1989 for Dennis Polivnick. Registration ZS-LUE cancelled as sold Australia 30.4.94 (on emigration of owner).

Re-registered VH-WHW 27.2.95 to M Polivnick, Chatswood, NSW (aircraft based Bankstown, Sydney, NSW). Sold 24.2.96 to Tiger Moth Scenic Flights of WA, Jandakot (Chris Boyes) named "Princess Tiger". Sold 2002 and re-registered to Gregory Shaw, Esperance, WA. Sold 11.2009 & regd 20.1.2010 to Classic Air (Queensland) (Pty) Ltd (Warren Buckley & Chris Adams), Torrington, Queensland; operated by Darling Downs Tiger Moths (Pty) Ltd, Darling Downs, Queensland.

Crashed due to loss of control in aerobatics near Table Top Mountain, Blanchview, East of Toowoomba, Queensland 16.1.11. According to a contemporary local press report (see link #3):

"Two men have survived a plane crash near flood-devastated Toowoomba in southeast Queensland.

A Tiger Moth biplane crashed into bushland near Table Top Mountain, at Blanchview near Toowoomba, at about 5.20pm (AEST) on Sunday, a RACQ Careflight spokesman said.

A medical team winched down to the heavily wooded scene found one man walking around with only minor head and arm lacerations, and another man trapped upside down in the wreckage, he said.

The second man had head lacerations and remained trapped until special equipment could be flown in to release him. Both were flown to Toowoomba Base Hospital in a stable condition.

It was not immediately known if the small plane was involved in any search and rescue activities connected to the Queensland floods.".

According to the ATSB report into the accident (see link #4):

"Collision with terrain - De Havilland, VH-WHW, SE 11 km Toowoomba Airport, Qld, 16 January 2011

On 16 January 2011, at about 1800 Eastern Standard Time, a De Havilland Aircraft DH-82A (Tiger Moth) aircraft, registered VH-WHW (WHW), departed Toowoomba, Queensland on a private local flight.

On board was the pilot in command (PIC) and a flying instructor from the local Aero Club. The PIC conducted a pre-flight inspection, which included a check of the fuel, oil and control cables. He determined that WHW was serviceable and had sufficient fuel for the flight. There were no loose items in the aircraft's storage locker or in the cockpit.

About 15 minutes after takeoff, the flying instructor, who was acting as the handling pilot at the time, initiated a left turn to return to the airport. The PIC recalled that, during the turn, WHW suddenly pitched down followed by a second, even more severe, pitch down motion. Both the PIC and the handling pilot recalled that the control stick did not move when WHW pitched down.

In response to the sudden and uncommanded nose down motion, both pilots attempted to raise the nose by applying back pressure on the control stick. Their actions had no effect and WHW continued to pitch nose down until the aircraft became inverted.

The aircraft was about 100 ft above the trees and inverted when it began to climb. Both pilots felt significant g-force followed by the collision with the trees.

The aircraft came to rest upside down on the side of Mount Davidson in bushland. Both occupants sustained serious injuries.

=Aircraft damage=
The aircraft sustained serious damage in the accident. The aircraft was winched from the accident site to a clearing and then subsequently moved to Toowoomba Airport. A number of interested parties, including a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer, examined the wreckage and were unable to observe any structural or mechanical faults that may have contributed to the accident.

=ATSB COMMENT=
While the reason for the loss of control could not be determined, there have been a number of previous ATSB investigations into De Havilland Aircraft DH-82A accidents. Tiger Moth loss of control accident investigation reports have examined issues including adhesive failure, inadvertent slat extension during aerobatics and loss of control due to stall".

Sold to Frank Frost in New Zealand. Registration VH-WHW cancelled 24.8.2011 as 'sold to New Zealand' (in damaged condition). Registration VH-WHW reallocated to Eurocopter AS-350B Ecureuil MSN 2679 on 24.5.2012. Tiger Moth VH-WHW stored in New Zealand [in 2019], presumably pending rebuild.

1. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
2. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pAus7.html
3. http://web.archive.org/web/20120410071351/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8197617/two-men-survive-plane-crash
4. ATSB Investigation number AO-2011-005: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2011/aair/ao-2011-005/
5. https://www.recreationalflying.com/topic/12066-aircraft-down-toowoomba-area/
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blanchview,_Queensland

VH-WHW De Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth c/n DHA732. Darling Downs Tiger Moths (Pty) Ltd - Day 1 Watts Bridge Airfield Festival of Flight 'The Vintage Experience' 28 August 2010:

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Jan-2011 03:57	gerard57	Added
17-Jan-2011 14:55	harro	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Source, Narrative]
02-Feb-2012 03:03	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
02-Feb-2012 03:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Damage]
07-Feb-2022 12:02	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category]
07-Feb-2022 12:21	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Embed code, Narrative]
07-Feb-2022 12:25	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]