Date:	Wednesday 6 September 1939
Time:	11:00 LT
Type:	de Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Aero Club of Broken Hill
Registration:	VH-AAE
MSN:	3670
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Broken Hill Airport, Broken Hill, NSW -   Australia
Phase:	Standing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Broken Hill Airport, Broken Hill, NSW (BHQ/YBHI)
Destination airport:

Narrative:
c/no. 3670 (Gipsy Major #80289): UK built by De Havilland at Hatfield, Hertfordshire. C of A 6217 issued to De Havilland Australia, Bankstown, Sydney, NSW, 1.3.38. Registered as VH-AAE (C of R 702) 10.5.38 to Aero Club of Broken Hill, Broken Hill, NSW.

Written off (Destroyed by fire) due to arson in hangar fire Broken Hill, NSW 6.9.39. Registration VH-AAE cancelled 6.9.39. The incident was reported in the contemporary local press at the time (The Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW) Tuesday 10 October 1939 Page 3):

Hangar Was Maliciously Set On Fire
FINDING BY CORONER
A FINDING that the hangar containing four aeroplanes was maliciously set on fire on September 6 by some person or persons unknown, was given by the coroner (Mr. A. B. Collins) at the conclusion of the inquest into ,the fire today.

The coroner suggested the offering of a reward and said it was regrettable that the evidence at present was not sufficient to bring the persons to justice. There was only one witness today: Mr. Dan Collins, who was absent from Broken Hill when the other evidence was heard by the coroner.

The flying instructor of the Aero Club, Daniel Francis Collins, residing at 29 Zinc Cottages, said that at about 11 p.m. on September 6, he received a telephone call from the Police Station that there was a fire at the aerodrome.

The hangar, was practically burnt down, three planes of the Aero Club and one owned by A.N.A. and used by the Flying Doctor were destroyed when he arrived. The machines included a D.H. 82 Tiger Moth valued at £1,300, a D.H. 60 Gipsy Moth valued at £600 and insured, and another D.H. Gipsy Moth which was insured for £550. The Fox Moth D.H. 83 was owned by A.N.A. and used by the Flying Doctor.

On September 6, witness said, he was at the aerodrome all day. At 5.40 p.m. the machines were refuelled and put in the hangar. Each tank contained 19 gallons of petrol. The Fox Moth had not been out of the hangar, and was fully fuelled with 26 gallons of petrol.

CLOSED THE DOORS
Witness said he closed the front doors of the hangar and left the aerodrome. After the fire he remained at the
aerodrome until early morning. A padlock was found outside the rear door of the hangar near the wall of the building. Inside the hangar was a slide bolt.

The lock had been attached in the usual way before he left the aerodrome. There was nothing in the hangar that could normally cause an explosion. There was no electric current. The petrol tanks were almost intact when examined. There was a hole in the front hangar door. The aperture was not large enough for a man to enter. Witness said he could advance no reason for the cause or origin of the fire.

"In this matter I am satisfied that the fire was not caused by an accident, nor accidentally caused. I find that the hangar was wickedly and maliciously set on fire by some persons. It is regretted that there is not sufficient evidence at present to bring them to justice," the coroner said. "I don't know whether a reward might help," the coroner added.

He found that the hangar and four machines were destroyed at the Broken Hill aerodrome on September 6 when some person or persons unknown maliciously set the hangar on fire".

As reported later (Northern Star (Lismore, NSW) Saturday 2 December 1939 Page 8) a £200 reward was offered for information that would lead to the conviction of the culprit(s):

"BROKEN HILL FIRE
Reward Is Offered
SYDNEY", Friday.
Arising out of the fire on September 6, which resulted in the destruction of four aeroplanes in a hangar at Broken Hill, it was notified in the Government Gazette to-day that a £200 reward will be paid by the Government to any person giving information which will lead to the apprehension and conviction of the person or persons responsible for an act of arson. The reward is to remain in force for three months".

As referred to above, the four aircraft that were destroyed in the deliberate fire were DH.82 Tiger Moth VH AAE, DH.83 Fox Moth VH-UQM, and two DH.60 Gipsy Moths (VH-AAL and VH-ULA).

Broken Hill Airport (IATA: BHQ, ICAO: YBHI) is an airport located 2.5 nautical miles (4.6 km; 2.9 miles) southeast of Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia.

1. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
2. The Barrier Miner (Broken Hill, NSW) Tuesday 10 October 1939 Page 3: Hangar Was Maliciously Set on Fire: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/48329841
3. The Longreach Leader (Longreach, Qld.) Saturday 9 Sept 1939 Page 17): BROKEN HILL FIRE: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/135161018
4. Northern Star (Lismore, NSW) Saturdayy 2 December 1939 Page 8: BROKEN HILL FIRE: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/98615128
5. Narandera Argus and Riverina Advertiser (Narandera, NSW) Friday 8 September 1939 Page 2: Sabotage at Broken Hill: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130453385
6. Lithgow Mercury (Lithgow, NSW) Friday 8 Sept 1939 Page 1: BROKEN HILL FIRE: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/219626293
7. https://www.austairdata.com.au/component/rsdirectory/entry/view/8857:vh-aae-1
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p036.html
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_VH-A.html
8. https://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austa/VH-AAE.html
9. https://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/page-australian-register/vh-a?highlight=WyJ2aC1hYWUiXQ==
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_Hill_Airport

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Jun-2025 05:07	Dr. John Smith	Added
03-Jun-2025 05:35	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Country, Source, ]
03-Jun-2025 11:10	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]