Date:	Tuesday 1 November 1960
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Colin Pay, Narromine, NSW
Registration:	VH-PCL
MSN:	3786
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Toongi, 17 miles South of Dubbo, NSW -   Australia
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Agricultural
Departure airport:	Dubbo Airport, Dubbo, NSW (DBO/YSDU)
Destination airport:

Narrative:
DH.82A Tiger Moth VH-PCL, Colin Pay, Narromine, NSW: Badly damaged in forced landing during crop spraying operations at Toongi, 17 miles south of Dubbo, NSW 1.11.60. According to the summary from the DCA Report into the incident:

"The aircraft struck the ground, collapsing the undercarriage, during an attempted forced landing after a loss of power due to fuel exhaustion, which occurred whilst spraying".

Ex-N6456 (RAF), VH-BPW. Registration VH-PCL cancelled as "withdrawn from use" 11.11.1960.

Note that the above incident applies to VH-PCL "the second". The first Tiger Moth to be registered as VH-PCL was a different airframe (c/no. DHA.85 ex-A17-88 and VH-AJC) which crashed at Boorowa, Hilltops Region, NSW on 20.7.56 (see separate ASN entry).

And that was the end of the story for the next 19 years. However the registration VH-PCL was restored 13.9.79 to same owner (based Scone). Re-registered 30.6.86 to Ross Pay, Scone, NSW (operated by Pay’s Air Service Pty Ltd); held within Hunter Fighter Collection. Currently registered (until 2024) to Ross Pay (although re-registered several times to addressess in the NSW areas as Ross Pay moved addressses).

Toongi is a locality in Dubbo Regional Council, New South Wales, Australia. Toongi is approximately 17.5 miles to the south of Dubbo.

1. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
2. https://airwaysmuseum.com/Downloads/DCA%20accident%20reports%201956%20to%201968%20v2.pdf
3. Aircraft History (Owners Website): https://paysairservice.com.au/past-projects/dh82-tiger-moth-vh-pcl-2/
4. As VH-PCL 1957-1960: https://www.austairdata.com.au/component/rsdirectory/entry/view/29210:vh-pcl-2
5. As VH-BPW 1956-1957: https://www.austairdata.com.au/component/rsdirectory/entry/view/12504:vh-bpw-1
6. Royal Air Force Serials N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978)
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p037.html
8. https://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austmz/VH-PCL%282%29.html
9. https://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austb/VH-BPW.html
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toongi,_New_South_Wales

c/no. 3786 (Gipsy Major #80732): Built in the UK by DeHavilland at Hatfield, Hertfordshire. Taken on charge by the RAF as N6456 at ‘H’ MU RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire 30.11.38. To 6 MU RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire 4.2.39. To 12 MU RAF Kirkbride, Cumbria [date unrecorded]. To 19 Signals Wing (sic - unknown unit) 22.4.42. To 48 MU RAF Hawarden, Flintshire 12.11.42. To 11 EFTS RAF Perth, Scone, Perthshire 3.3.43. To 11 RFS RAF Perth, Scone, Perthshire 26.6.47; coded “RCR-S”. To HQ Technical Training Command Communications Flight, RAF Wyton 26.1.51. To 9 MU RAF Cosford, Shropshire 31.3.54 for storage pending disposal.

Struck off RAF charge when sold 27.9.54 to WA Rollason Ltd, Croydon Airport, Croydon. Exported to Australia. Registered in Australia as VH-BPW 22.10.56 to Aerial Agriculture Pty Ltd, Bankstown. Re-registered as VH-PCL 7.1.57 to same owner. Re-registered 3.7.59 to Colin Pay, Narromine, NSW.

Badly damaged in forced landing spraying Toongi, NSW 1.11.60. Registration VH-PCL cancelled as "withdrawn from use". Registration VH-PCL restored 13.9.79 to same owner (based Scone, NSW). Re-registered 30.6.86 to Ross Pay, "Cairgorn" Middlebrook Road, Scone, NSW (operated by Pay’s Air Service Pty Ltd); held within Hunter Fighter Collection. Re-registered 25.8.2005 to Ross Pay, Krui Airstrip, Moree, NSW. Re-registered 1.1.2011 to Ross Pay, 67 Nandowra Road, Moobi, NSW. Re-registered 31.3.2018 to Ross Pay, PO Box 158, Moobi NSW. Re-registered 25.1.24 to Pays Air Service Pty Ltd, PO Box 158, Scone, NSW.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Jun-2025 17:57	Dr. John Smith	Added
03-Jun-2025 05:35	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Narrative, ]