ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 27104
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| Date: | Wednesday 12 May 1948 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | de Havilland DH.84 Dragon Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | Mandated Airlines Ltd |
| Registration: | VH-AKX |
| MSN: | 2061 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Turnagain Island, Torres Strait, QLD -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Daru, Papua New Guinea (AYDU) |
| Horn Island, Queensland (YHID) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
31.03.43: Manufactured by De Havilland Aircraft Pty Ltd, Mascot Airport, Sydney NSW as part of an RAAF Order for 87 aircraft
01.04.43: 1st Flight at Mascot, Sydney, NSW.
08.04.43: Received by No 2 Aircraft Park (2AP) at Bankstown Airport, Sydney, NSW and bought on charge as A34-72.
14.07.43: DH.84 Technical Order 22 incorporated – Strengthening of cockpit floor.
17.07.43: Allocated to Special Duties & Performance Flight (SDF) at No 1 Aircraft Depot RAAF Laverton for fitment of W/T (Wireless Telegraphy) equipment, modifications and, to perform nose heaviness tests.
20.07.43: Received by 1 AD Special Duties & Performance Flight (SDF).
21.07.43: Allocated to No 35 (T) Squadron RAAF at Maylands Airport, WA.
24.07.43: Received by 35 Squadron RAAF at Maylands Airport, WA.
18.08.43: Allocated to MacRobertson Miller Airways (MMA) for repairs.
19.08.43: Received by MacRobertson Miller Airways (MMA)
11.10.43: Received by 35 Squadron RAAF after repairs.
06.11.43: Allocated to No 7 Communications Flight (7 CF) at RAAF Pearce, WA.
10.11.43: Received by 7 CF at RAAF Pearce, WA.
06.06.44: Allocated to 6 Communications Unit (6 CU) at Batchelor Field, NT.
13.06.44: Aircraft deemed to be unsuitable for tropical service. Allocation to 6 CU cancelled.
22.08.44: Allocated to No 5 Aircraft Depot (5 AD) at RAAF Base Wagga Wagga, NSW for storage.
16.09.44: Received by 5 AD Care & Maintenance Unit (CMU) at RAAF Station Cootamundra NSW.
19.09.45: Survey report to Commonwealth Disposal Commission (CDC) recommended disposal.
15.02.46: Sold by CDC to W.R. Carpenter Pty Ltd O’Connell Street, Sydney, NSW for £50 pounds. RAAF Markings to be removed before issue. CDC Sales Advice No G (Vic) 261 dated 14 February 1946 refers.
21.02.46: Issued to purchaser.
10.03.47: Registration application by Mandated Airlines Ltd (MAL), Lae, Papua New Guinea.
24.03.47: Registered as VH-AKX.
28.03.47: Ferried from Sydney to Lae, Papua New Guinea.
11.05.48: Departed Lae, Papaua New Guinea for ferry to Sydney for C of A renewal.
12.05.48: departed Daru, Papua New Guinea for Horn Island, Queensland. Halfway across the Torres Strait, the pilot (John W Spiers) encountered a severe rain storm and turned back to Daru. At low level over sea 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. VH-AKX crashed at Turnagain Island, off Queensland, Australia
A search was made by a Mandated Airlines C-47, with pilots Brian Carpenter and Tom Deegan, searching as far south as the Australian Gulf country for 3 days. When returning to Daru from Horn Island, they spotted VH-AKX on the mudflats of Turnagain 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.
A RAAF Catalina from Port Moresby landed off Turnagain Island, which sent a crew member ashore in a rubber dinghy to collect John Spiers. A storm blew up, so the Catalina returned to Port Moresby, leaving the two men on the island. They were later rescued by a pearling lugger, sent from Thursday Island
The pilot was John W. Spiers, an ex-R.A.F. WWII Lancaster pilot. He had previously flew with Guinea Air Traders (from March 1947). He joined Mandated later in 1947, and became a captain on DH.84s, He resigned later in 1948 to fly with QANTAS in New Guinea. He was killed in the crash of QANTAS DHA-3 Drover VH-EBQ at Lae, Papua New Guinea, on 16.07.51
Turnagain Island, also called Buru Island, is an island of the Western Islands region of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago, located in the northern section of Torres Strait, Queensland, Australia. Turnagain is located within the Torres Strait Island Region Local government area. The island is located approximately 38 kilometres (24 miles) south of the Western Province of Papua New Guinea. Turnagain Island is 7.5 kilometres (4.7 miles) in length and up to 2.2 kilometres (1.4 miles) wide. Its area of 11.98 square kilometres (4.63 sq miles) is heavily wooded. It is uninhabited.
17.05.51: Registration VH-AKX was belatedly cancelled by Director of Civil Aviation, and aircraft struck off regsitere
Sources:
1. http://www.aussieairliners.org/crewlists/ansettmal.html
2. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH84.pdf
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pAus01.html
4. https://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/dh84-pt2/dh84-dragon-pt2.htm
5. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a34.htm
5. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh84-dragon-turnagain-island
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turnagain_Island
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horn_Island_Airport
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 31-Dec-2011 10:43 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 23-Mar-2014 23:04 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Jun-2022 22:24 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 10-Nov-2022 13:47 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 10-Nov-2022 13:48 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 10-Nov-2022 13:48 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Aircraft type, Cn] |
| 28-May-2023 04:11 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Aircraft type, Cn]] |
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