Date:	Sunday 24 December 1933
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.60G Gipsy Moth
Owner/operator:	Hawkes Bay & East Coast Aero Club
Registration:	ZK-ACY
MSN:	1234
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Embankment Aerodrome, Napier, Hawke's Bay -   New Zealand
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Embankment Aerodrome, Napier, Hawke's Bay
Destination airport:

Narrative:
DH.60G [Gipsy I] registered as G-AAWN [C of R 2510] 2.5.30 to Norman A DeBruyne, Cambridge. C of A 2495 issued 6.5.30. Registration cancelled as "sold abroad" 2.32. To New Zealand 3.32 and registered as ZK-ACY 28.6.32 to Hawkes Bay & East Coast Aero Club, Hastings.

Written off (destroyed) when spun in after take-off from Napier on 24.12.33. The pilot, Hugh C. Curlett, described as the owner, was killed. R.I.P.

According to a contemporary newspaper report (Horowhenua Chronicle, 27 December 1933, Page 2 - see link #1:

"CRASH AT NAPIER DROME.
EXPERIENCED PILOT MAKES DIVE TO DEATH.
A fatal crash occurred at the Napier aerodrome on Sunday morning, the victim being Hugh C. Curlett, who was flying the Hawke's Bay Aero Club's Moth ZK-ACY alone. Falling from little over 100 feet, he sustained concussion, an apparent fracture of the skull, and a compound fracture of the left ankle. He died in the Napier Hospital on Sunday night.

The machine was smashed to matchwood. Curlett was a member of the Hawke's Bay Aero Club and held a B-class commercial flying license. He was an experienced pilot, trained by the club. Flight Lieutenant Gerrard, instructor to the 'Club, had flown the plane to Napier from Hastings earlier in the morning, with Curlett as a passenger, his purpose being to conduct weekly instruction among members of the Napier Aero Club.

Gerrand considered the wind too strong for pupils to fly, and gave Curlett permission to take a passenger to Waikare. Curlett completed the trip and returned alone. He then took up as a pupil, Mr F. Wilson, for instruction. He landed again, went up alone and climbed to a little over 1OO feet, He attempted to turn to the right, but apparently had not a great enough margin of speed. The piano stalled in the middle of a turn, and crashed on the aerodrome. Mr Gerrard, with Mr Pellow, a mechanic, afterwards examined the engine and controls, and they are convinced that the cause of the accident was that the plane turned at too low a speed. There was no indication of engine or other mechanical failure, said Mr Gerrand. Deceased's wife and child live in Auckland. This is the first accident in which injury or death has been caused to club members since the club was established over four years ago".

Embankment Aerodrome, which was started in 1932 was located near the Napier end of the Napier–Westshore road and rail embankment. As the accident took place on Christmas Eve (December 24 1933) most press reports on the accident were "held over" until the next available publishing day (December 26 - Boxing Day) or the day after (December 27).

1. Horowhenua Chronicle, 27 December 1933, Page 2: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HC19331227.2.3
2. Evening Post, 26 December 1933, Page 5: https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~sooty/genealogy/miscairdeaths.html
3. The Argus (Melbourne, Victoria) Tuesday 26 Dec 1933 Page 7: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11723955
4. http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/dh60.pdf
5. http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/15-aeroplanes/75-register-gb-g-aa
6. https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/docs/HistoricalMaterial/G-AAWN.pdf
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-A1.html
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_ZK-.html
9. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh60g-gipsy-moth-napier-1-killed
10. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p012.html
11. As G-AAWN: http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/gb-registers-g-aa/g-aa-part-2?highlight=WyJnLWFhd24iXQ==
12. As ZK-ACY: http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/page-new-zealand-register/gn-z-zk?highlight=WyJnLWFhd24iXQ==
13. http://www.flydw.org.uk/DWZKAAH.htm
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawke%27s_Bay_Airport
15. AHSNZ, 1987, Journal, Vol 30 No 3.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-Nov-2017 12:47	Dr. John Smith	Added
16-Mar-2018 20:23	angels one five	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Narrative]
26-Sep-2019 05:38	angels one five	Updated [Narrative]
23-Jan-2022 03:57	Ron Averes	Updated [Aircraft type]
23-Jan-2022 04:05	Ron Averes	Updated [Aircraft type]
11-Nov-2023 08:13	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
11-Nov-2023 18:04	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Departure airport, Narrative]
14-Nov-2023 23:42	Ron Averes	Updated [Aircraft type, Source]