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| Date: | Thursday 2 December 1943 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  de Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth |
| Owner/operator: | 5 EFTS, RAAF |
| Registration: | A17-513 |
| MSN: | DHA.936 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | McKay Property, Clergate, 6 miles North of Orange, NSW -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAAF Narromine, NSW (YNRM) |
| RAAF Narromine, NSW (YNRM) |
DH.82A Tiger Moth A17-513, 5 EFTS, RAAF Narromine, NSW: Written off (destroyed) when crashed at the McKay Property, Clergate, 6 miles North of Orange, NSW 2.12.43. Of the two crew, Flying Officer Richard Trevor Bennett (Instructor) was killed; Leading Aircraftman V E Mahy (Pilot under training) survived but was badly injured. Despite wartime censorship restrictions, the incident was reported in a contemporary local newspaper (The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW) Saturday 4 December 1943:
"During a non-operational cross-country exercise on 2 December 1943, Tiger Moth A17-513 crashed at 08:35 hours six miles north of Orange, New South Wales and Flying Officer Bennett was killed. The flight commenced at 07:20 hours and the Route was Narromine-Orange-Mudgee-Narromine. At approximately 09:30 hours a telephone call from the VOAC Orange reported that an aircraft had crashed on Mr McKay’s property six miles north of Orange, and one crew member was killed and another seriously injured in the crash.
Eye witnesses stated that “the aircraft appeared to have engine trouble and the pilot had attempted a forced landing. The aircraft made an approach to a field but overshot, and while making a further circuit and during a low turn into the field, the nose dropped and the aircraft dived into the ground.” It was considered that “engine failure appeared to be a contributory factor, although there appeared to be sufficient power for the instructor to make a second attempt at landing, and loss of flying speed in a turn close to the ground, would appear to be the cause of the accident.”
The crew members of A17-513 were:
Flying Officer Richard Trevor Bennett (411272) (Instructor Pilot, aged 29) - killed in service 2 December 1943
Flying Officer Victor Edward Mahy (436202) (Trainee Dual Pilot) Seriously injured, Discharged from the RAAF: 26 August 1946
Wreckage recovered to 2 Aircraft Depot, RAAF Richmond, NSW 13.12.43. Not repaired, declared a non-effective airframe and struck off charge 18.12.43.
Sources:
1. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
2. The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW) Saturday 4 December 1943: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/1089074#
3. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10306601
4. https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/619795
5. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20451750/richard_trevor-bennett
6. https://aviationmuseumwa.org.au/afcraaf-roll/bennett-richard-trevor-411272/
7. http://airpowerarchaeology.com/view_person.asp?id=1040507
8. CWGC: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2245406/richard-trevor-bennett/
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._5_Elementary_Flying_Training_School_RAAF#History
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAAF_Station_Narromine
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange,_New_South_Wales
.
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-May-2025 23:39 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 15-May-2025 13:35 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Source, Narrative, ] |
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