ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 402
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| Date: | Saturday 28 February 1998 |
| Time: | 17:35 |
| Type: |  de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth |
| Owner/operator: | Royal Aero Club of Western Australia |
| Registration: | VH-TMK |
| MSN: | T250 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Mundijong, near Wellard, WA -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Jandakot Airport, Perth, WA (YPJT) |
| Jandakot Airport, Perth, WA (YPJT) | |
| Investigating agency: | ATSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
de Havilland DH-82a Tiger Moth MSN 83248 (Gipsy Major #83157); Taken on charge by the RAF as T5531 at 4 MU RAF Cowley, Oxford 14.5.40 and shipped direct to Australia on the s.s "Port Melbourne" 1.7.40. Taken on charge by the RAAF 9.9.40 retaining its previous RAF serial. To 8 EFTS Narrandera 14.10.40. To 4 EFTS Mascot, Sydney, NSW 7.6.41. To 10 EFTS Temora 20.4.42. DH Australia at Mascot, Sydney, NSW with overhaul No. T250. Auctioned Western Junction in 5.46.
Struck off RAAF charge when sold 31.5.46 to F Reddern. Australian civil registered as VH-ATD 1.6.46 to F Redden, Camden, NSW. Re-registered 23.5.53 to Royal Newcastle Aero Club, Broadmeadow, NSW. Badly damaged when hit bank on take-off Cowra, NSW 12.9.54; rebuilt/repaired in 1954-55 (which caused subsequent confusion and uncertainty as to its identity - see below). Re-registered as VH-RNL 5.4.55 to same owner. Re-registered VH-CXV 29.9.61 to same owner. Re-registered 6.10.61 to J F Norgard, East Moree, NSW. Re-registered 26.11.62 to William N Duff, t/a W Duff & Co, Moree, NSW.
There followed a 18-year gap in the aircrafts history until re-registered 26.8.80 to Richard M Doctor, Mount Riverview, NSW (owned jointly with Nick Hunt and based Maitland; later Clareview, NSW). Re-registered 27.10.87 to Nick J Hunt, Oatley, NSW. Re-registered 12.92 to A Parise, Hoopers Crossing, Victoria and operated by the flying school at Parafield. Damaged when crashed into fence 3 km south of Berwick Airport, Casey Field, Berwick, Victoria (YBER) 22.5.93
Repaired and returned to service. Sold 3.96 to Royal Aero Club of Western Australia, Perth (aircraft based at Jandakot, WA) and delivered 26.3.96 for overhaul by Harvey McBain, Nelson, Victoria. Broke up in loop and crashed Mundijong, near Wellard, City of Kwinana, Western Australia, 35 miles South of Perth, WA 28.2.98; pilot Bob Dalley & passenger Deni Marovic killed. According to the ATSB Report into the accident:
"The pilot hired a de Havilland DH82A Tiger Moth VH-TMK to undertake a 30-minute local pleasure flight with a friend. Although the pilot was qualified to conduct aerobatics, he was not authorised by the aircraft's operator to do so during the accident flight. The aircraft departed Jandakot at approximately 17:15 Western Standard Time (WST) and proceeded south to the training area.
About 20 minutes later, witnesses saw the aircraft performing an egg-shaped loop at a lower altitude than usual. One witness reported that the aircraft had been conducting continuous loops. As the aircraft was pulling out at the bottom of a loop, witnesses heard a loud crack accompanied by a tearing sound. Two witnesses reported hearing three "bangs". A large, yellow object was seen to separate from the aircraft. The aircraft then appeared to stop and pitch nose-down before entering a spiral dive. The right wing was seen to fold back against the fuselage before the aircraft entered the dive. As the aircraft descended, the left wings folded back, shedding wing components. The aircraft impacted the ground in a near vertical attitude and caught fire. Bystanders were unable to assist the occupants".
Registration VH-TMK cancelled 28.8.98 as "destroyed". Wellard is a suburb of Perth, Western Australia, located within the City of Kwinana. The suburb was named in 1978 after John Wellard, an early settler who owned a farm about 7.5 kilometres from the suburb.
However, one published source (See link #11) has an alternative theory as to the in-flight breakup and consequent crash of Tiger Moth VH-TMK: "Two other Australian Tiger Moth wing failure accidents were considered, VH-TMK and VH-AJG. VH-TMK occurred because the upper right wing spar was weakened as a result of fungal decay of the wooden spar and a partially de-bonded doubler. Certainly not a lateral tie rod failure".
NOTE: Registered 1980 with MSN "T250". Identity unconfirmed, since T250 was T5531 MSN 83248. However, there is no definative proof that VH-TMK was ex-VH-CXV/VH-RNL/VH-ATD/T5531). There is an 18-year gap in the history of this aircraft between 1962 and 1980. VH-TMK was built out of bits in 1980 at West Maitland aerodrome by the Royal Newcastle Aero Club's then chief engineer Lance Fletcher. For some reason (probably because Lance had the Identity plate) it was given the c/n T.250. Having said that, DH rebuild number T250 belongs to Tiger Moth T5531 (MSN 83250) which ultimately became VH-CXV and has always been quoted as "83250" on the register since its days as VH-ATD and VH-RNL. It is possible that, while as VH-RNL, it lost its rebuild identity plate one day and that it wound up on the hybrid VH-TMK. Reported (in 2009) as mainly comprising A17-61/VH-ALK and possibly used most of that airframe at the time of 1954 repair/rebuild.
Sources:
1. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a17d.htm
2. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p832.html
4. ATSB Report of accident 28.2.98: http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1998/aair/aair199800648.aspx
5. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austcl/VH-CXV.html
6. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austmz/VH-TMK.html
7. ATSB Summary Report of Accident 22.5.93: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1993/aair/199301477/
8. ATSB Full Report of Accident 22.5.93: https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/5227321/199301477.pdf
9. https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=18770
10. https://caseycardinialinkstoourpast.blogspot.com/2012/09/casey-airfield-at-berwick.html
11. https://aviatormag.com.au/wp/tiger-moth-best-of-british/
12. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/search/?q=VH-TMK&f=reg&search_type=simple
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mundijong,_Western_Australia
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Jan-2008 10:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 02-Feb-2012 08:57 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 23-Jan-2022 16:18 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 07-Jun-2022 20:23 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
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