ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 63362
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Sunday 31 July 1960 |
| Time: | c. 16:10 |
| Type: |  De Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth |
| Owner/operator: | North Otago Aero Club |
| Registration: | ZK-BMB |
| MSN: | DHNZ170 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Maheno. Otago -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Oamaru Aerodrome (NZOU) |
| Oamaru Aerodrome (NZOU) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
de Havilland DH.82a Tiger Moth DHNZ.170; Taken on charge by the RNZAF as NZ1490 at Unit 39, Rongotai, Wellington 31.5.44. To 2 EFTS Ashburton 1944 coded "90". To ITS, Taieri [by 1952].
Declared surplus on Government Stores Board SR132/55 dated 15.8.55; sold by tender number 6091 to New Plymouth Aero Club for £410. Struck off charge 28.10.55. NZ civil registered ZK-BMB 4.11.55 to New Plymouth Aero Club, New Plymouth. NZ CofA issued 1.12.55. Re-registered 13.6.58 to North Otago Aero Club, Oamaru. Crashed and destroyed by fire near Incholme Hill dam, in Kaura Hills, near Maheno 31.7.60; Pilot William Kininmont (aged 22) injured, survived. Passenger David Tait (aged 16) killed. R.I.P.
The aircraft was on a one-hour private flight. The flight had been approved by the Aero Club instructor. A brief stop was made at Kurow airstrip and then the aircraft headed back to Oamaru.
During the return flight the Tiger Moth dived into the ground after stalling in a steep turn at low level. The aircraft was wrecked by impact forces and exploded in flames a moment after the crash. The injured pilot was dragged from the blazing wreckage by a gallant farmer who found himself only a few yards from the point of impact. Owing to the intensity of the fire nothing could be done for the passenger in the front seat.
The pilot explained to the authorities that he had inadvertently allowed the plane to fall into a spin. As he recovered from the spin, at a low height, he found the aircraft heading straight for a farmhouse. The pilot said he then attempted a steep turn to avoid a collision with the building and lost control of plane and crashed.
This explanation was not accepted by the crash investigator, for a number of reasons.
The occupiers of the house were known to the pilot. The two witnesses, the farmer and his wife, both stated to the investigator that they observed the plane flying straight at the house at high speed for a distance of 500-600 yards from the building.The investigator felt that had the pilots claim been true then he would have naturally climbed over the obstacle ahead rather than attempting to avoid it by turning.
A Tiger Moth had been seen low flying over another property not far away, 15 minutes before the accident. Inquiries to Air Traffic Control and to other aero clubs and operators failed to locate any other DH82s operating in the area at the time. It was suspected the plane was ZK-BMB.
The accident report concluded :
" Immediately prior to the accident ZK-BMB was seen making a long shallow dive terminating in a low steep turn over a farmhouse occupied by friends of the pilot. There was ample time and opportunity for the pilot to have cleared the farmhouse by climbing over it. The reason given for the necessity for the steep turn to avoid the house is not considered valid.
The shallow dive towards the farmhouse and the steep turn over it were intentional. The pilot induced a stall during the steep turn which resulted in the aircraft crashing in close proximity to the farmhouse.
Opinion 27. The accident was caused by loss of control in a steep turn at an altitude that did not permit recovery before the aircraft struck the ground. "
Registration ZK-BMB cancelled 16.8.60 as "destroyed". Maheno is a small North Otago township south of Oamaru in New Zealand.
Sources:
1. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/nz-serials/nzdh82.htm
2. Aircraft Accident Report No. 25/3/1083
3. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pNZ1.html
5. http://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewEntity.do?code=7333
6. https://steemit.com/history/@len.george/de-havilland-tiger-moth-dh-82a-nz1466-to-nz-1500-1939-to-1956-part-7
7. http://edcoatescollection.com/ac2/NZBA/ZK-BMB.html
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maheno,_New_Zealand
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-May-2009 12:58 | XLerate | Added |
| 10-Jun-2011 07:41 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Damage, Narrative] |
| 10-Jun-2011 07:45 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 14-Dec-2014 11:37 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
| 25-May-2015 15:49 | TB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Apr-2017 12:18 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
| 11-Dec-2021 20:22 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 29-Dec-2021 05:41 | angels one five | Updated [Phase] |
| 29-Jan-2022 03:59 | Ron Averes | Updated [Aircraft type, Location] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation