Date:	Friday 25 November 1988
Time:	18:00
Type:	de Havilland DH-82a Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Kevin Weldon & Associates Pty Ltd
Registration:	VH-AQJ
MSN:	DHA.22
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	Wards Mistake, 28 miles NE of Guyra, NSW -   Australia
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Luskintyre Airfield, NSW (YLSK)
Destination airport:	Wards Mistake, NSW
Investigating agency:	BASI
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
de Havilland DH-82a Tiger Moth MSN DHA.22 (Gipsy Major #86202); Built by DH Australia at Bankstown, Sydney, NSW. Taken on charge by the RAAF as A17-26 at 2 Aircraft Depot, Richmond 21.6.40. To 5 EFTS Narromine 12.7.40. Fitted with Gipsy Major #86845 in May 1941. To DH Australia at Mascot, Sydney, NSW 9.4.42 for overhaul; to 2 Aircraft Depot 3.5.42 upon completion of repairs. To 1 AOS Cootamundra 11.5.42; issued to 5 EFTS Narromine 20.7.42. Damaged in ground collision with parked stationary CAC Wackett on landing at Narromine 31.3.43; repaired and returned to service. To DH Australia at Mascot, Sydney, NSW 20.6.44 for overhaul (DHA No T262). Overhaul competed 4.8.44. To 2 Aircraft Park 15.8.44; 5 Aircraft Depot, Wagga Wagga, NSW 17.8.44. To 7 EFTS Western Junction 23.11.44. To Care & Maintenance Unit at Western Junction 1.6.45; put up for sale 6.12.45.

Struck off charge when sold 18.2.46 to Tasmanian Aero Club for £495; issued 5.3.46. Australian civil registered VH-AQJ (C of R 916) 3.4.46 to Tasmanian Aero Club, Western Junction (with c/n T262 - the identity presumably based on the 1944 overhaul reference). Badly damaged in forced landing 5 miles South of Western Junction 20.1.52 after rudder bar failed; not confirmed if repaired as a result.

Registration VH-AQJ cancelled 24.6.52. Re-registered 12.11.56 to Douglas G Morrison, West Launceston, Tasmania. Converted for agricultural (crop spraying/top dressing) operations, and re-registered (in 1957 or 1958) to Air-Mist Pty Ltd, Launceston, Tasmania (later Parafield). Crashed near Kapunda, South Australia 19.10.65; registration cancelled 18.10.65 (sic - the day before the accident!). On rebuild (in December 1971) by Peninsula Air Services, Moorabbin; built up with with spare parts from Tiger Moth VH-SSG.

Re-registered 15.6.73 to Douglas K Fuss, Vermont, Victoria. Re-registered 30.6.76 to Lewis E Wade, Cheltenham, Victoria. Badly damaged on landing with engine failure Tooradin, Victoria 14.8.77 and registration cancelled same day. Registration VH-AQJ restored 29.9.78 to same owner. Crashed on take-off Wellington Park, 32km E of Sale, Victoria, 29.12.79; passenger/owner killed, pilot survived. According to the summary of the aTSB into the accident:

"PIC PPL (Pilot in Command's Private Pilot's Licence) had been cancelled on Medical grounds. PIC (PIlot in Command) suffered a heart attack during a turn shortly after takeoff. The other pilot was unaware that the PIC (Pilot In Command's) PPL (Private PIlot's Licence) had been cancelled, and realised too late that the PIC (PIlot In Command) was incapacitated and he was unable to effect a recovery from the spin.

OPINION AS TO CAUSE
The probable cause of the accident was in-flight incapacitation of the pilot at the controls in circumstances in which the other pilot did not become aware of the resultant loss of control until it was too late for him to take effective action"

Registration cancelled 29.12.79 as "destroyed". Registration VH-AQJ restored 26.2.80 to Ken E Orrman, Kialla, Victoria. Registration cancelled 29.9.80. Registration restored 19.10.84 to A H Wood, Scone, NSW and Raymond A Windred, Dungog, NSW (probably the one being rebuilt by Windred at Dungog in 1983 as "c/n 82372"). Re-registered 27.11.84 to Kevin Weldon & Associates Pty Ltd, McMahons Point, NSW

Substantially damaged when Crashed at Wards Mistake, 28 miles North East of Guyra, NSW 25.11.88. Accarding to the summary of the ATSB report into the accident:

"On arrival in the circuit at the destination, the pilot estimated the wind strength at 5 to 15 knots blowing directly across the strip. He elected to land towards the north east with the crosswind from the left. After landing the pilot reported the aircraft was hit by a wind gust which tipped it onto its right wing. The aircraft then weather cocked and ran off the mown section of the strip into long grass where it overturned.This accident was not the subject on an onscene investigation.

Significant Factors:
The following factors were considered relevant to the development of the accident
1. Excessive gusting crosswind.
2. Pilot encountered conditions which resulted in a loss of directional control".

Wards Mistake is a small New South Wales Rural Location within the local government area of Armidale Regional, it is located approximately 422kms from the capital Sydney covering an area of 179.795 square kilometres.

On rebuild at Luskintyre, NSW (1990); flying again (by 1992); painted in RAAF colours as A17-26. Shipped to United Kingdom, retaining Australian registration. Flown from Southend, Essex to Le Torquet, France and return before participating in 1992 DH Cup Rally at Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire. Placed First in both aerobatic competitions (pilot Phil Unicomb of Luskintyre NSW); returned to Australia January 2003. Re-registered 4.3.2003 to Welwind Pty Ltd (Kevin Weldon), Surrey Hills, NSW (Balmoral, NSW with effect from 8.7.2005). Currently registered

NOTE: The 1988 ATSB report transposed the "last two" letters of the registration as VH-AJQ. The aircraft involved was VH-AQJ (MSN DHA.22). The regsitration VH-AJQ has never been applied to a DH.82A Tiger Moth; it was first applied to a CAC CA-6 Wackett Trainer, then an Auster J/5 (in 1950, ex-G-AIPY) then an IAI 1124 Westwind (from 23.5.2003).

1. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a17a.htm
2. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pAus0.html
4. ATSB Summary of the accident: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1988/aair/aair198802409/
5. ATSB Full Report into the accident: https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/27188/aair198802409.pdf
6. https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=18738
7. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austa2/VH-AQJ.html
8. Tiger Moth A17-26 in RAAF Service c.1942: https://www.airhistory.net/photo/134857/A17-26
9. Tiger Moth VH-AQJ at Griffith NSW (YGTH) 25.4.2010: https://www.airhistory.net/photo/43698/VH-AQJ
10. Tiger Moth VH-AQJ at Luskintyre 26.3.2007: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/001041767.html
11. Tiger Moth VH-AQJ at Woburn Abbey (Deer Park) 16.8.1992: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/001634305.html
12. https://www.australias.guide/nsw/location/wards-mistake/
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guyra,_New_South_Wales

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

29 December 1979

VH-AQJ

Lewis E Wade

1

Wellington Park, 32km E of Sale, VIC

sub

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Dec-2018 10:48	Pineapple	Added
18-Jan-2022 19:50	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category]