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| Date: | Sunday 23 December 1962 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Cessna 180 Skywagon |
| Owner/operator: | Mount Cook Air Services Ltd |
| Registration: | ZK-BMP |
| MSN: | 30603 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Location: | Tatare Saddle, Westland NP -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Passenger |
| Departure airport: | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
pilot D G Middleton. Accident Report has location as Tatare Saddle [Incorrect: It was the Middleton Snowfield, since named after this accident]. The flight was a drop-off for a mountaineering party. It left Mt Cook National Park and flew northwest across the Southern Alps toward Franz Josef Glacier township. At 07:30 small snowfield was selected to make the snow landing and a touch-an-go was performed and the area considered large enough for the Cessna 180. At that elevation 1860m asl) with four persons and heavy packs, the aircraft ground speed was high. The snow was hard and the aircraft continued to skate toward the western ridge edge. The pilot took evasive action performing a hard left turn. G-loading forced the starboard ski to break through the snow crust, collapse and drop the starboard wing and elevator onto the snow surface. The airframe was repaired to flying condition and the plane flown off the site.
Sources:
http://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewEntity.do?code=7333. Also the Trevor Chinn family archive.
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 8 September 1958 | ZK-BEK | Rural Aviation Ltd | 0 | Mauriceville, Wairarapa | |
unk |
| 12 March 1959 | ZK-BEK | Rural Aviation Ltd | 0 | Rongomai, Wairarapa | |
sub |
| 14 September 1967 | ZK-BMP | Cascade River, West Coast | |
unk | ||
| 20 January 1976 | ZK-BMP | Lilburn Valley, Southland | |
unk | ||
| 6 August 1978 | ZK-BMP | Private | 4 | Missing, Fiordland NP | |
mis |
Images:
Photo credit: Trevor Chinn. December 23, 1962. Middleton Snowfield, Tartare Range, Westland, New Zealand.
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Feb-2022 08:27 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, Narrative, ] |
| 28-Jun-2025 18:26 | W. Chinn | Updated [Phase, Source, Damage, Narrative, Photo, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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