ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 27785
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| Date: | Saturday 15 December 1979 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | de Havilland DH.84 Dragon |
| Owner/operator: | Jim O'Connell |
| Registration: | VH-AGC |
| MSN: | 2045 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Point Cook, VIC -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Point Cook, Victoria, Australia (YMPC) |
| Point Cook, Victoria, Australia (YMPC) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
04.02.43: Manufactured by De Havilland Aircraft Pty Ltd, Mascot Airport, Sydney, NSW as part of an RAAF order for 87 aircraft.
06.02.43: 1st Flight at Mascot, Sydney, NSW
11.02.43: Received by No 2 Aircraft Park (2 AP) at Bankstown Airport, Sydney NSW and bought on charge as A34-56
12.02.43: Allocated to ANA Essendon Airport, Melbourne, Victoria for transport/air ambulance conversion.
16.02.43: Received by ANA at Essendon Airport, Melbourne.
28.03.43: Received by 1 Aircraft Depot RAAF Laverton, Victoria for weight and post conversion checks.
31.03.43: Allocated to No 6 Communications Unit (6 CU) at Batchelor Field, NT.
09.04.43: Received by 6 Communications Unit (6 CU) at Batchelor Field, NT.
16.12.43: Allocated to No 2 Air Ambulance Unit (2 AAU) at Kingaroy Airfield Queensland.
24.01.44: Allocation cancelled.
03.02.44: Request allocation for complete overhaul.
08.02.44: Allocated to De Havilland at Mascot airport, Sydney for overhaul.
26.04.44: Received by De Havilland at Mascot airport, Sydney
20.10.44: Received by 2 AP at Bankstown Airport, Sydney NSW for post overhaul checks.
14.11.44: Allocated to No 5 Aircraft Depot (5 AD) at RAAF Base Wagga Wagga, NSW for storage.
15.11.44: Received by 5 AD Care & Maintenance Unit (CMU) at RAAF Station Cootamundra, NSW.
14.08.45: Allocated to No 14 Aircraft Repair Depot (14 ARD) at Gorrie Field, NT.
17.08.45: Allocation cancelled.
21.08.45: Allocated to 12 ARD at Darwin NT. Allocation cancelled at some date afterwards.
16.05.46: Approved for disposal at £7,600 pounds! (At a time when other DH.84 Dragons were going for £50 pounds...). Possibly a administrative error for £760 pounds (a more realistic figure).
27.05.46: Sold by CDC for £750 pounds to Flying Doctor Service, Sydney, NSW. CDC Sales Advice G (Vic) 493 dated 27 May 1946 refers.
26.06.46: Issued to purchaser from 5ADC MU Wagga Wagga, NSW.
11.07.46: Allocated registration VH-ASO.
22.10.46: Registration application Flying Doctor Service of Australia (NSW Section), Broken Hill, NSW. To be based at Broken Hill.
10.03.47: Registered as VH-ASO.
15.09.48: Director of Civil Avaiation wrote to Flying Doctor Service requiring a change of registration for VH-ASO because of possible communication confusion with “SOS”. Marking may be changed at the next C of A overhaul.
19.11.48: Re-registered as VH-FDA.
01.06.49: Ferried to Bankstown, Sydney, for C of A renewal by De Havilland Aircraft.
05.12.49: On a flight from Broken Hill, pilot V. Cover overshot the airstrip on landing at Westwood Downs Station NSW, struck a dray which minor damage to starboard wing. Repaired on site and flown out.
31.12.49: After landing at Pine View Station, 180 km North of Broken Hill, NSW, the port brakes failed while taxiing in strong winds. The aircraft was blown off course and the pilot A. J. Polkinghorne could not prevent the port propeller from striking a tree stump.
10.09.52: Advertised for sale in Aircraft Magazine.
01.06.53: Sold to Adastra Airways Pty Ltd, Mascot NSW.
27.10.54: Withdrawn from use and struck-off register.
07.08.56: Registered as VH-AGC with Adastra Airways Pty Ltd, Mascot NSW. Purchased by Adastra for photographic survey contracts. By 1958 it was parked in the Adastra hangar at Mascot and rarely flown because of its poor performance. However maintained in immaculate condition by the company engineering chief who had worked for De Havilland Aircraft. The Dragon was now rarely used by Adastra, although maintained in excellent condition by their Mascot hangar foreman who had previously worked for De Havilland Aircraft Pty Ltd.
20.08.58: One of its last charters was to carry an automotive products team in support of the 1958 Mobilgas Around Australia car trial. The pilot engaged for the charter was Nancy Leebold-Ellis. The cars departed Bondi Beach, Sydney heading for Victoria, but VH-AGC only reached Goulburn the first night because its Gipsy Major engines were running rough. The following day they only reached Parkes NSW. An Adastra engineer was dispatched to Parkes where a batch of faulty sparkplugs were diagnosed. These plugs came from the international automotive parts company whose team were on the DH.84 Dragon. By this time the cars were so far ahead that the charter was abandoned and Nancy Leebold ferried VH-AGC back to Mascot.
(The 1958 Round Australia Trial, officially the Mobilgas Trial was the ninth running of the Round Australia Trial. The rally took place between 20 August and 7 September 1958. The event covered 16,250 kilometres around Australia. It was won by Eddie Perkins and Arthur Smith, driving a Volkswagen 1200).
02.09.58: Sold to R. S. & S. R. McDonald, “Muirdart” Station, Clermont, Queensland.
03.09.58: Ferried from Mascot to Camden by Adastra pilots Bruce Sellick & Kevin Pavlich.
20.07.62: Withdrawn from use and registration cancelled.
28.11.63: Restored to Register as VH-AGC: Queensland Airplanters Pty Ltd, Bundaberg Queensland. Used for aerial top dressing (application of plant seeds from the air)
09.12.65: Sold to Newcastle Sport Parachute Club, West Maitland, NSW."Newcastle Sport Parachute Club" titles applied by October 1966.
01.12.68: During takeoff in slight downwind at West Maitland-Rutherford, became airborne prematurely and commenced a swing to the right which the pilot could not control. He abandoned the takeoff and the aircraft ground-looped into trees. Both undercarriage legs were torn off. Pilot and six parachutists unhurt.
Unknown: (1969-70?) Wreck purchased by Bill Miller, Geelong, Victoria.
Unknown: (Early 1970s?) Wreck purchased by Keith Hatfield, Berwick Victoria
Unknown:(Mid-1973?) Wreck purchased by Jim O’Connell, Melbourne Victoria. And rebuilt at Point Cook, Victoria.
07.12.74: noted Point Cook in hangar, wings attached, all over red dope
14.03.76: Ground engine run after complete restoration. Painted all over grey with thin red cheatlines.
12.04.76: Restored to Register VH-AGC: James O’Connell, Melbourne Victoria. Based at Point Cook.
03.10.76: First flight after restoration at Point Cook, Victoria
1976-79: Regularly seen at Air Shows and Meets at Point Cook, Wodonga, and Sunbury, Victoria.
13.12.79: Crashed on takeoff Point Cook, Victoira. Destroyed by fire. Owner Jim O’Connell killed. Pilot Macarthur Job recalled:"Jim O’Connell appointed me 'honorary chief pilot' of his Dragon VH-AGC based at Point Cook, which he had so painstakingly restored to mint condition over several years. I flew VH-AGC on various outings and displays, including the AHSA’s first National Conference at Wodonga in 1976 (notable passengers included Air Commodore A. H. Wheeler of the Shuttleworth Trust, Group Captain Clive Caldwell and racing driver Alf Barrett). I also gave endorsements to several would-be Dragon pilots, including VH-AGC’s proud owner. Tragically, he later killed himself in it one hot day of violently gusting northerly winds, when he was two years out of flying practice."
15.12.79: Struck-off Register as "destroyed"
Sources:
1. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH84.pdf
2. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austa/vhagc2.html
3. https://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/dh84-pt2/dh84-dragon-pt2.htm
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pAus01.html
5. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a34.htm
6. https://www.adastra.adastron.com/aircraft/dragon/vh-agc.htm
7. https://www.adastra.adastron.com/people/bm-dragon.htm
8. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh84-dragon-i-point-cook-1-killed
9. https://www.airhistory.net/photo/161129/VH-AGC [VH-AGC at Point Cook in September 1976]
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAAF_Williams#RAAF_Base_Point_Cook
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 02-Jan-2012 11:04 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 04-Apr-2015 18:05 | cactus | Updated [Phase, Departure airport] |
| 09-Jun-2022 20:41 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 08-Nov-2022 17:45 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 08-Nov-2022 17:50 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 08-Nov-2022 17:55 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 09-Nov-2022 01:31 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 27-May-2023 08:43 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Narrative]] |
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