Date:	Thursday 22 September 1960
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Neil M McInnes, t/a Farmair
Registration:	VH-BPL
MSN:	DHA.188
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Gunbower, Shire of Campaspe, Victoria -   Australia
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Agricultural
Departure airport:	Gunbower, Shire of Campaspe, Victoria
Destination airport:	Woomelang, Mallee Region,Shire of Yarriambiack, Victoria

Narrative:
DH.82A Tiger Moth VH-BPL, Neil M McInnes, t/a Farmair; Written off (damaged beyond repair) 22.9.60 when struck overhead HT wires and collided with a fence on take-off near near Gunbower, Shire of Campaspe, Victoria 22.9.60 during agricultural (crop spraying/top dressing) operations. As per the summary from the DCA Report into the incident (see link #7)

"A reduction of engine power due to a sticking exhaust valve occurred during a take-off run. The take-off could not be successfully abandoned due to the down slope and the aircraft collided with the upwind fence and overturned

Registration VH-BPL cancelled 28.1.61.

NOTE #1: Several sources give the date of the accident as "28.1.61", but as can be seen from the above, that was the date of the cancellation of registration, three months later.

NOTE #2: Some sources give the location of the incident at "near Woomelang, Mallee Region, Shire of Yarriambiack, Victoria, which is at least 110 miles to the west of Gunbower.

Gunbower is a town in northern Victoria, Australia. The town is located in the Shire of Campaspe, 272 kilometres (169 miles) north of the state capital, Melbourne on the banks of Gunbower Creek.

Woomelang is a town in the Mallee region of Victoria, Australia. The town is in the Shire of Yarriambiack local government area and on the Sunraysia Highway, 359 kilometres (223 miles) north-west of the state capital, Melbourne, 183 kilometres (114 miles) south-east of Mildura and 154 kilometres (96 miles) north of Horsham.

1. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
2. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a17a.htm
3. https://www.austairdata.com.au/component/rsdirectory/entry/view/12472:vh-bpl-1
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pAus1.html
5. https://edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austb/VH-BPL.html
6. https://goodall.com.au/photographs/tiger-moths/TIGER%20MOTHS1960s.html
7. https://airwaysmuseum.com/Downloads/DCA%20accident%20reports%201956%20to%201968%20v2.pdf
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunbower,_Victoria

c/no. DHA.188: Taken on charge as A17-187 at 2 Aircraft Depot, RAAF Richmond, NSW 9.12.40. To 8 EFTS RAAF Narrandera, NSW 10.12.40. To De Havilland Australia at Mascot, Sydney, NSW 3.9.42 for overhaul; to 2 Aircraft Depot, RAAF Richmond, NSW 16.11.42; to 1 AOS Cootamundra 23.11.42. To 11 EFTS RAAF Benalla, Victoria 1.12.42; withdrawn from service to storage reserve 25.7.45. Transferred to Care & Maintenance Unit there for long term storage pending disposal 1.3.46; put up for sale 7.6.46.

Struck off charge when sold 6.9.46 for £100 to Association of Australian Aero Clubs, Sydney; issued to them 22.8.46. Registered VH-BPL (C of R 2923) 9.5.56 to Joseph G Beohm, Ashfield, NSW. Re-registered 11.5.56 to Neil M McInnes, t/a Farmair, Gippsland, Victoria. Badly damaged when struck fence when crop-spraying near Cowwarr, Victoria 7.11.56; repaired and returned to service.

Crashed when struck overhead HT wires and collided into a fence on take-off near Gunbower, Shire of Campaspe, Victoria 22.9.60; registration VH-BPL cancelled 28.1.61.

NOTE: Several sources give the date of the accident as "28.1.61", but as can be seen from the above, that was the date of the cancellation of registration, three months later.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Apr-2025 14:48	Dr. John Smith	Added
16-Apr-2025 09:37	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
30-Apr-2025 11:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]