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| Date: | Sunday 25 October 1959 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Short S.25 Sunderland MR5 |
| Owner/operator: | 5 Sqn RNZAF |
| Registration: | NZ4113 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Wellington Airport, Wellington -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | NZWP |
| NZWP |
During an airshow marking the opening of the new Wellington Airport, an RNZAF Short Sunderland struck its keel on the runway. The aircraft was affected by turbulence, caused by the treacherous terrain and weather Wellington Airport is known for, on performing a low pass. The aircraft returned safely to Hobsonville Airbase (now part of RNZAF Base Auckland) and was taken out of service to repair the hole to the fuselage. The same airshow also saw two other incidents: the aborted landing of Avro Vulcan XH458 of No. 617 'Dambusters' Squadron Royal Air Force and the near-crash of four de Havilland Vampires of the RNZAF while performing a low altitude loop in low clouds.
Sources:
1. Blast from the past, The Wings Over New Zealand Aviation Forum (taken from [83] of https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellington_Airport)
2. https://adf-serials.co.au/nz-serials/nzsunderland.htm
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Aug-2022 14:28 | Anon. | Added |
| 22-Aug-2022 21:25 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Embed code, Operator, ] |
| 28-Feb-2025 07:12 | Ron Averes | Updated [Registration, Location, Source, ] |
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