Date:	Friday 3 July 1953
Time:	afternoon
Type:	Auster J/1B Aiglet
Owner/operator:	Royal Aero Club of South Australia
Registration:	VH-BWK
MSN:	2662
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	2 miles South of Ardrossan, SA -   Australia
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Private Airstrip, 2 miles South of Ardrossan, SA
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Auster J/1B Aiglet, VH-BWK, Royal Aero Club of South Australia: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 3 July 1953 when crashed and caught fire after struck overhead high-tension wires near Ardrossan, SA. Passenger - named in contemporary press reports as "William Morgan, aged 26, of Waverley Bidge" - killed, pilot Robert Turner survived with burns. The most complete account of the incident was rewporetrewd in the DCA Aviation Safety Digest - Issue 03 - January 1954:

"Auster Take-Off Accident - Ardrossan, South Australia
DURING the afternoon of 3rd July, 1953, an Auster J1/B crashed and burnt after striking high tension wires when taking off from a paddock two miles south of Ardrossan, South Australia. The passenger, who received fatal injuries, was incinerated, while the pilot received minor injuries and severe burns.

THE TAKE-OFF AREA
The paddock which was being used is situated on the coast, lies in an east-west direction and is 2,190 feet in length and 270 feet wide, with roads on the western and southern sides. The surface was stubble and very hard. High tension wires on poles 42 feet in height run along a road at the western end.

Air Navigation Orders, Section 91.3, which sets out the physical requirements for authorized landing areas, stipulates that for Auster aircraft the landing area shall consist of at least one run and the approach angle to
each end shall be at least 1 in 30 and the minimum length of run, at sea level, shall be 1,500 feet.

When this approach angle is applied over the high tension wire poles the available length of run becomes approximately 1,000 feet which is far below the above minimum requirements. Furthermore, this paddock has an up-slope of 1 in 15 from the eastern end for a distance of approximately 500 feet and then 1 in 22 for the remainder of the length. This gradient is more than twice the maximum allowable longitudinal grade
specified by the above Order for authorized landing areas.

THE TAKE-OFF
The pilot elected to take-off uphill into the west-north-west because of a relatively strong and gusty wind of 20-25 knots from that direction. The first 500 feet of the paddock was not used, undoubtedly because the 1 in 15 slope would have made manoeuvring in this area very difficult.

The take-off was commenced some 1,590 feet from the high tension wires. One-third flap was used, and the initial climb was made at about 60 m.p.h. to a height considered to be above the high tension wires. The pilot then raised the flaps and selected climbing power.

The pilot states that it was "very bumpy" during' the initial climb and a few seconds after climbing power had been selected the aircraft suddenly lost height to below the wires. Full power was immediately re-applied and flaps were lowered, but the aircraft failed to respond sufficiently to clear the wires. The aircraft struck the wires and fell onto the road, bursting into flames.

THE CAUSE
It is considered that the accident was due to an error of judgment on the part of the pilot in raising take-off flap and selecting climbing power under turbulent wind conditions and whilst in close proximity to high tension wires".

Ardrossan is a town in the Australian state of South Australia located on the eastern coast of the Yorke Peninsula, about 150 kilometres (93 mi) by road from the Adelaide city centre.

1. Barrier Daily Truth (Broken Hill, NSW) Saturday 4 July 1953 Page 1: Plane Hits High Tension Wires: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/140047160
2. The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA) Saturday 4 July 1953 Page 1: Hurt In Crash: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/48268491
3. Port Lincoln Times (Port Lincoln, SA): Thursday 9 July 1953 Page 1: INJURED PILOT WELL KNOWN HERE: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/97183214
4. Daily Mirror (Sydney, NSW) Saturday 4 July 1953 Page 3 Man burned to death in club plane: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/277543366
5. DCA Aviation Safety Digest - Issue 03 - January 1954: https://www.atsb.gov.au/sites/default/files/media/5774700/asd_03_jan_54.pdf
6. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austcl/VH-KAK.html
7. https://www.austairdata.com.au/component/rsdirectory/entry/view/12971:vh-bwk-1
8. http://austerhg.org/prod_list/pages.php?page=2540
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ardrossan,_South_Australia

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-May-2008 11:10	ASN archive	Added
19-Jun-2009 13:03	harro	Updated
24-Mar-2014 01:15	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
24-Mar-2014 01:19	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]
24-Mar-2014 01:19	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]
24-Mar-2014 01:20	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]
01-Apr-2021 18:39	TB	Updated [Location, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
27-May-2025 06:32	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category, ]