Date:	Saturday 7 June 1958
Time:	c. 18:15
Type:	Cessna 182A Skylane
Owner/operator:	Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade
Registration:	VH-RJC
MSN:	34447
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Edungalba, Boolburra, near Rockhampton, Queensland -   Australia
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Ambulance
Departure airport:	Alpha, Barcaldine Region, Queensland
Destination airport:	Rockhampton Airport, Queensland (ROK/YBRK)

Narrative:
Cessna 182A Skylane VH-RJC, Queensland Ambulance Transport Brigade: Written off (destroyed) 7.6.58 when crashed near Edungalba, 56 miles from Rockhampton, Queensland during a CASEVAC (Medical Evacuation) Flight. All four persons on board were killed. According to the summary from the DCA Report into the incident:

"Whilst the pilot was attempting to fly by ground references in darkness and rain under a low cloudbase the aircraft flew into a densely timbered ridge".

The incident was also reported in the contemporary press (The Canberra Times (Canberra, ACT) Monday 9 June 1958 Page 1:

"Seven Killed In Plane Crashes
Mercy Trip
A police party left Rockhampton early to-day to bring back the bodies of four people killed when an aerial ambulance crashed, during a mercy flight in Central Queensland late yesterday.

The plane, a light Cessna, had tried to beat rain, low cloud and darkness to bring an expectant mother and a man 250 miles from Alpha to Rockhampton. Rescuers from Edungalba struggled through scrub and rough country to the crash and brought out the bodies of the four victims.

The dead were: Mr. Thomas Rolls, of Alpha, Mrs. Lotus Josephine Shaw, 26, patient, of Alpha, Edward McLeod, 28, pilot, and James Tranent, 47, ambulance bearer, both of Rockhampton.

The Cessna landed on the waterlogged Emerald airstrip to refuel and the pilot on take-off said he expected to be in Rockhampton by 6.20pm. James Tranent, the bearer, of Rockhampton, was the father of seven children".

Registration VH-RJC cancelled 9.3.59. Note that the report in the Canberra Times above is a combined report of three accidents. The crash of VH-RJC above was one (four fatalities) the crash of Lockheed Huson VH-AGG in Lae, PNG on 8.6.58 was another (a further three fatalities - hence "seven killed") and the non-fatal crash of Tiger Moth VH-RCI in Queensland on 8.6.58 was the third.

Boolburra is a rural town and locality in the Central Highlands Region, Queensland.The town of Boolburra was laid out immediately north of the Boolburra railway station, but there are no buildings today. The town of Edungalba was laid out immediately south of the Edungalba railway station, but there are only a few buildings today. Rockhampton, Queensland, where the flight was heading, is 56 miles to the north north-east.

1. DCA Accident Summaries 1956-1968: https://airwaysmuseum.com/Downloads/DCA%20accident%20reports%201956%20to%201968%20v2.pdf
2. The Canberra Times (Canberra, ACT) Monday 9 June 1958 Page 1: Seven Killed In Plane Crashes: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/136299342
3. https://www.austairdata.com.au/component/rsdirectory/entry/view/30997:vh-rjc-1
4. https://edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austmz/VH-RJC.html
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerald_Airport
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha,_Queensland
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boolburra

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-May-2025 18:56	Dr. John Smith	Added