Date:	Saturday 29 September 1951
Time:	16:30 LT
Type:	de Havilland DH.89A Dragon Rapide
Owner/operator:	Connellan Airways Ltd
Registration:	VH-AIK
MSN:	6497
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Turkey Creek, East Kimberley, WA -   Australia
Phase:	Standing
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Turkey Creek, East Kimberley, Western Australia
Destination airport:	Alice Springs, Northern Territories
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Destroyed by fire on engine start, Turkey Creek WA on 29.9.51. Fabric caught alight during engine start at 4.30pm, pilot Eddie Connellan. Burnt out, but all six on board (pilot and five passengers) survived. Eddie Connellan later wrote:

"VH-AIK was by far the best of the Rapides we had over the years for speed and payload, and nicest to fly. On September 27th 1951 I had the misfortune to burn this aircraft. Rapides were very prone to engine fire on start up. We had modified the under surface of the wing by replacing fabric with aluminium sheeting over the danger area. However, on this occasion, the device was not effective because of strong crosswinds, which carried the flame from the torching exhaust beyond the aluminium area and set fire to the fabric underneath the belly of the aeroplane. This was unknown to me at the time. but was reported to me afterwards by the policeman Vic Perry who was watching.

I gave the order for the 5 passengers, to abandon ship. I started the engine and was using our technique of trying to blow out the fire when flames came up between my legs. I guessed what had happened, and when I looked back I found the rear cabin and fuselage was enveloped in roaring flames. I ran back, opened the door and found a wall of flame outside. I stepped back to the other side of the cabin to take a running jump through and as a result put a fair amount of weight on the bottom longeron below the doorway.

The fire was so advanced that the longeron broke and the fuselage broke in half and collapsed on the ground. Everyone was standing close by watching. I realised that the fuel tanks would go up at any moment, so I yelled at them to run for their lives and did the same. We were just far enough away when up she went.

The fire was so hot that all aluminium and alloy parts were completely destroyed, including carburettors and propellers. In fact, all that could be found among the ashes were steel parts like crankshafts, cylinder barrels and flying wires."

(Note the different date in the quote above). Contemporary newspaper reports state both 29th or 30th September 1951. Lloyds Insurance lists quote the date and time of the incident as being 29th September at 4.30pm.

The burnt remains of the airframe lay on the western side of the airstrip for some time. Contradicting Eddie Connellan's account above, it is reported that one propeller became a dinner gong at the Bow River homestead and the other propeller was at the Turkey Creek Overland Telegraph Station.

Warmun (also known as Turkey Creek or Warmun Community) is a township and locality in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, located on the Great Northern Highway, 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) northeast of Perth, Western Australia

1. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/dh89.pdf
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AIWG.pdf
3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-156274052/view
4. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austa/VH-AIK(1).html
5. http://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/dh89/dh89.htm
6. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/ground-fire-de-havilland-dh89a-dragon-rapide-turkey-creek
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p064.html
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warmun_Community,_Western_Australia

c/no.6497: Taken on charge as X7324 under Contract No B.104592/40 at 9 MU 29.8.40. To 3 Ferry Pilots Pool White Waltham 2.11.40. Damaged when taxied into Anson DJ381 at Barton 2.1.43; to DeHavilland at Witney for repairs 5.1.43; to 18 MU Dumfries 13.5.43. To Skeabrae Station Flight 9.8.43. To DeHavilland at Witney for maintenance 11.9.44. To Metropolitan Communications Squadron, RAF Hendon 30.11.44. To 5 MU RAF Kemble 3.1.45 for storage pending disposal.

Sold 8.11.46 to North Sea Air Transport Ltd. Registered G-AIWG (C of R 11025) 20.11.46 to North Sea Air Transport Ltd, Brough. C of A 8812 issued 6.1.47. Registration cancelled 25.1.50 as sold to E.J. Connellan, Australia. UK registration cancelled 26.1.50 as "sold aboard (Australian markings as VH-AIK)".

Registered as VH-AIK 13.2.50 to Edward J Connellan t/a Connellan Airways, Alice Springs, NT, Australia. Re-registered 14.3.51 to Connellan Airways Ltd, Alice Springs, NT.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
04-Jan-2012 04:13	Dr. John Smith	Added
03-Oct-2012 13:32	Sky65	Updated [Nature, Source, Narrative, ]
10-Mar-2014 04:07	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Total occupants, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
28-Feb-2019 00:13	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
28-Feb-2019 00:22	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, ]
07-Jun-2022 19:56	Ron Averes	Updated [Location, ]
24-Mar-2025 08:04	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, Category, ]