Date:	Sunday 13 December 1959
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Lawrence Engineering & Sales Pty Ltd
Registration:	VH-WEF
MSN:	DHA.438
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Camden Airport, 2 miles North West of Camden, NSW -   Australia
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Camden Airport, Camden, NSW (CDU/YSCN
Destination airport:	Camden Airport, Camden, NSW (CDU/YSCN

Narrative:
DH.82A Tiger Moth VH-WEF, Lawrence Engineering & Sales Pty Ltd, Hurstville, NSW: Written off (damaged beyond repair) when crashed on landing Camden, NSW 13.12.59. The incident was reported in detail in the DCA Aviation Safety Digest (Issue 21, March 1960):

"Stall during Forced Landing
In carrying out a forced landing following complete power failure in a DH.82, the pilot allowed the aircraft to stall in a turn al 100 feet and the aircraft struck the ground in a steep nose-down attitude. The pilot was seriously injured and the aircraft extensively damaged, but the passenger escaped with only minor injuries.

During this local private flight, the pilot carried out a steep turn and very soon after this the engine coughed, spluttered and then cut out completely. The pilot could see that the glide would not "stretch" to the aerodrome so he decided to make an emergency landing in a cleared flat field immediately below. He entered what was intended to be a 300degree left turn but, after turning through some 180 degrees, the aircraft stalled at about 100 feet.

It was quickly established that the engine stopped because of fuel starvation, but there was still two gallons of fuel left in the tank and no satisfactory explanation was reached as to why it could not be utilised. Nevertheless, the investigation did reveal some safety considerations which are not new, but which are worth repeating. An examination of the fuel tank led to the recovery of 20 pieces of rubber hose-lining of assorted sizes up to 2 inches by 1 inch together with a loose bolt. Quite obviously this indicates a lack of care, particularly in filtering during refuelling. Because there are 21 outlet holes of 1/8ths diameter from the tank to the sump in this aircraft it is difficult to believe that these foreign bodies alone would completely cut off the fuel supply. Tests have confirmed this view.

The fact that only two gallons of fuel were found in the tank after a 15-minute flight indicates quite clearly that the flight was commenced with less than the minimum required, including reserves.

The Light Aircraft Handbook at Section RAC/ 3-1, paragraph 1.2, specified a minimum reserve of 45 minutes which, as applied to this flight, required a minimum of 6 galIons at take-off. Two gallons of fuel spread over the nearly flat bottom of a DH-82 tank provides very little coverage of the outlet even in level flight. It is quite probable that in sharp manoeuvres such as a steep turn the outlet would be uncovered and the fuel supply temporarily interrupted. Here again, however, it is difficult to believe that this would lead to a permanent cessation of fuel flow in a gravity feed system.

It is worth mentioning that in this accident the pilot was thrown forward on to the crash pad and instrument panel, receiving severe facial injuries, whilst the passenger suffered only slight concussion. Both wore "Q" type harnesses, but that of the fastened, pilot was only loosely allowing considerable movement of his body, whilst the passenger's harness was fastened firmly, thus affording the necessary restriction to prevent serious injury.

THE LESSON IS NOT ONLY OLD, IT IS OBVIOUS - BUT ALL TOO FREQUENTLY IGNORED.
In the forced landing the pilot elected to turn through 300 degrees left to approach into wind on a cleared area a mile long. This involved turning his back on the selected field and thus allowed little opportunity to compensate for miscalculations or variations in the descent rate or the effects of drift. It also ignored the fundamental principle of forced landing techniques to make all turns towards the selected field so as to keep it in sight. There was nothing wrong with the pilot's decision to land in this field, but his faulty planning of the forced landing approach path presented him with unnecessary difficulties, to say the least, and was undoubtedly the prime circumstance which led to the inadvertent stall".

Registrsation VH-WEF cancelled 9.3.60. Ex-PK-VVV, A17-625, and VH-WFF.

NOTE: Original identity unconfirmed; also suggested that RAAF A17-625 was actually PK-VVU and thus c/no 470. The identities of PK-VVV (c/no.DHA.438) and PK-VVU (c/no.DHA.470) seems to have been mixed up over the years. One became A17-625, but it is not 100% confirmed which one of the two became A17-625.

Camden Airport (IATA: CDU, ICAO: YSCN) is an aerodrome located on the outskirts of Sydney, 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 miles) northwest of Camden, New South Wales, Australia. The airport is located approximately 60 km (37 miles) from Sydney's central business district.

1. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
2. DCA Aviation Safety Digest (Issue 21, March 1960): https://www.atsb.gov.au/sites/default/files/media/5774718/asd_21_mar_60.pdf
3. https://airwaysmuseum.com/Downloads/DCA%20accident%20reports%201956%20to%201968%20v2.pdf
4. As VH-WEF 1959: https://www.austairdata.com.au/component/rsdirectory/entry/view/37337:vh-wef-1
5. As VH-WFF 1958-59: https://www.austairdata.com.au/component/rsdirectory/entry/view/37388:vh-wff-1
6. https://edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austmz/VH-WEF.html
7. https://edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austmz/VH-WFF.html
8. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a17c.htm
9. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pAus4.html
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camden_Airport_(New_South_Wales)#Post_war

c/no. DHA.438: (Gipsy Major #234) Supplied to Vrijwillig Vlieger Corps (VVC) in Netherlands East Indies in July/August 1941 and registered as PK-VVV (C of R 91) in September 1941 to VVC. Delivered to the Navy VVC at Surabaya and was to be equipped with Edo floats. The floats were not delivered and the Tiger Moth was evacuated 18.2.42 on the SS \\\'Tjinegara\\\' from Surabaya, arriving Adelaide, SA 19.2.42. Registration PK-VVV cancelled 1.3.42.

Taken on charge by the RAAF as A17-625 at 1 EFTS RAAF Parafield, Adelaide, SA 7.3.42. Damaged in heavy landing at RAAF Parafield 15.5.42; to Guinea Airways, Parafield 27.5.42 for repairs. Upon completion, returned to 1 EFTS RAAF Parafield, Adelaide, SA 31.8.42. To Victorian & Interstate Airways, Essendon, Melbourne, Victoria 9.1.44 for overhaul. Upon completion, to 1 Aircraft Depot RAAF Laverton 22.5.44. To 5 Aircraft Depot RAAF Wagga Wagga, NSW 28.7.44. To Station HQ RAAF Laverton 5.10.44; to 1 Aircraft Depot RAAF Laverton 1.10.45. To 11 EFTS RAAF Benalla, Victoria 4.10.45 for storage; transferred to Care & Maintenance Unit 1.3.46. To 1 FTS RAAF Point Cook (or 5 SFTS Uranquity) 5.3.46. To RAAF Station Point Cook 19.1.49; to Base Squadron, RAAF Point Cook 15.6.50. Damaged when crashed on northern side of Geelong Road, 6 miles South of Werribee, Victoria 12.9.56; cause attributed to engine failure during aerobatics. To 1 Aircraft Depot RAAF Tocumwal 9.1.57; returned to RAAF Point Cook 6.2.57 for instructional purposes (use as ground instructional airfame). Put up for sale 22.8.57; struck off charge when sold 30.1.58; issued 17.3.58 to civilian owner.

Registered as VH-WFF (C of R 2390) 28.3.58 to Wagga Air Taxi & Flying School Pty Ltd, Wagga Wagga, NSW. Registered VH-WEF 16.3.59 to Lawrence Engineering & Sales Pty Ltd, Hurstville, NSW.

Crashed on landing Camden Airport, Camden, NSW 13.12.59 as per the above. Registration VH-WEF cancelled 9.3.60.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-May-2025 13:22	Dr. John Smith	Added
01-Jun-2025 06:53	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Total occupants, Source, Narrative, ]
01-Jun-2025 16:17	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]