Date:	Saturday 1 June 1957
Time:	08:30
Type:	de Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Private
Registration:	VH-***
MSN:	N/K
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Derrinallum, Corangamite Shire, Victoria. -   Australia
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Agricultural
Departure airport:	near Derrinallum, Corangamite Shire, Victoria.
Destination airport:

Narrative:
DH.82A Tiger Moth: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 1.6.57 when crashed during agricultural (crop spraying/top dressing) operations near Derrinallum, Victoria. The aircraft collided with high-tension power cables when the pilot misjudged the distance from the cables during a crop-spraying operation. The most complete account of the incident was reported in the DCA Aviation Safety Digest (Issue 13 - March 1958)

"Collision With Power Cables
At 08:30 hours on 1st June, 1957, a DH-82 flew into electric power cables and crashed whilst engaged in low level spraying on the boundaries of various properties near Derrinallum, Victoria. The pilot received serious head injuries.

The last run was over almost level terrain, strewn with rocks, except that over the final 100 feet the ground rose sharply some 15 feet. The aircraft was flown at a height of 12-15 feet and about 50 feet from and parallel to the boundary which was bordered by both telephone and high tension cables 20 and 30 feet high respectively. The boundary towards which it was flying consisted of a fence and well defined telephone cables 20 feet in height with poorly defined high tension cables 30 feet in height immediately above.

The pilot was well aware of the existence of the cables as he had surveyed the area from the ground prior to commencing operations and had flown in close proximity and parallel to them on two runs a few minutes before the accident; he also flew over them on the run preceding the last one.

The aircraft commenced to climb as it approached the rising terrain then "appeared to go straight up as it came to the wires". The aircraft struck the high tension cables, the propeller cut the "active" wire, but the neutral wire, remaining intact, caught in the undercarriage assembly and pulled free from supporting poles. The aircraft came to rest inverted some 100 feet from the point of contact with the cables, the pilot striking his head on a stone.

The pilot's total aerial agricultural experience was 70 hours, only three hours of which had been gained on spraying operations. There was no evidence of malfunctioning of the aircraft or pre-crash defects which may have contributed to the accident. Therefore, it is thought that the probable cause of the accident was inexperience on the part of the pilot in that he concentrated on the immediate task of accurately flying and positioning the aircraft to the extent that he misjudged the point where it was necessary to commence climbing to avoid the cables.

This error in judgment may have been accentuated by the sharp rise in terrain when nearing the cables, also, this was the first run the pilot had made downwind, the component being about five knots."

Derrinallum is a town in Victoria, Australia, located on the Hamilton Highway, in the Corangamite Shire. The town is the centre for the surrounding farming community and lies at the foot of Mount Elephant. Mount Elephant is a 380 m-high conical breached scoria cone formed by a dormant volcano.

1. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
2. https://airwaysmuseum.com/Downloads/DCA%20accident%20reports%201956%20to%201968%20v2.pdf
3. DCA Aviation Safety Digest (Issue 13 - March 1958): https://www.atsb.gov.au/sites/default/files/media/5774710/asd_13_mar_58.pdf
4. The Age (Melbourne, Victoria) 3 June 1957: https://www.newspapers.com/browse/australia/victoria/melbourne/the-age_3673/1957/06/03
5. The Canberra Times (Canberra, ACT) 3 June 1957: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/91590077
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derrinallum
.

Other occurrences involving this aircraft


5 June 1947	DG536	Royal Indian Air Force (RIAF)	0	Jodhpur Airfield, Jodhpur, Rajasthan		w/o
29 April 1950	ZS-BYY	African Flying Services	0	Groot Marico, Transvaal, North West Province		w/o

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
30-May-2025 05:32	Dr. John Smith	Added
30-May-2025 18:58	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]