Date:	Sunday 17 December 1978
Time:	c. 11:20
Type:	De Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	M G Neich & R J Tritt
Registration:	ZK-CZX
MSN:	84526
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Inangahua Junction, West Coast -   New Zealand
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Murchison, Lakes-Murchison Ward, Tasman District
Destination airport:	Westport Airport, Buller District, West Coast Region (NZWS)
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 84526; Taken on charge by the RAF as T8253 at 3 EFTS RAF Watchfield 23.4.41; moved with unit to RAF Shellingford 12.41 later coded “FHI-L”. Crashed 6.6.47; to 9 MU RAF Cosford, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire 11.8.47 for long-term stroage pending disposal.

Struck off charge when sold 29.4.48 to Adie Aviation Ltd, Croydon Airport, Cryodon, Surrey. UK civil registered as G-AMNE (C of R R3641/1) 18.4.52 to Adie Aviation Ltd, Croydon. CofA issued 30.5.52. Registration G-AMNE cancelled 3.6.52 as 'sold abroad - New Zealand'.

Re-registered in New Zealand as ZK-BBK 12.8.52 to New Plymouth Aero Club. C of A issued 14.10.52. Re-registered 26.2.54 to J Paterson, Motiti Island [aircraft based at Tauranga]. Re-registered 1.5.59 to Tauranga Aero Club, Tauranga. Re-registered 1.5.61 to Tauranga Gliding Club, Tauranga.

Badly damaged when ran away during start-up Tauranga Airport, Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, Western Bay of Plenty, 2.12.61. Pilot Brister. Registration ZK-BBK cancelled 16.5.68 as damaged beyond repair.

Rebuilt and re-registered ZK-CZX (with MSN "T8253R") 4.7.69 to Ian Bennie, Auckland. Re-registered 8.11.71 to Cliff N Bellingham, Waiuku. Re-registered 30.11.76 to M G Neich & R J Tritt, Wellington [aircraft based at Paraparaumu]. Collided with power lines and crashed into river at Inangahua Junction, near Whitecliffs 17.12.78; The vintage biplane was flying through the Buller Gorge when it struck wires and crashed. Pilot Murray Neich and his passenger Jacqueline Barber both died - the impact was survivable but the aircraft crashed upside-down in the river.

Inangahua is a small settlement in the northwest of New Zealand's South Island. It consists of three settled areas: Inangahua Junction at the confluence of the Inangahua and Buller Rivers, 34 kilometres (21 miles) north of Reefton and 46 kilometres (29 miles) southeast of Westport; Inagahua Landing, 10 km further up the Inangahua River; and Inangauhua township, 2 km east of the Junction. Murchison is 52 kilometres (32 miles) further east. After the 1968 Inangahua Earthquake, most of the inhabitants left the area or shifted to the township, which is now the population centre and known simply as Inangahua.

Registration cancelled 16.7.79. Used as spares in the rebuild of Tiger Moth ZK-ALX in 1981. On rebuild 1986-88 by Glenn Thompson, Palmerston North. On rebuild [1998-2000] at Gisborne.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft T1000-V9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
2. Civil Air Accident Files, Archives New Zealand
3. King, John (1995). Aviation Accidents and Disasters. New Zealand Tragedies. Wellington: Grantham House. pp. 187-188. ISBN 1 86934 042 6.
4. AHSNZ, 1985, Journal, Vol 28 No 1.
5. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AMNE.pdf
6. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p845.html
8. Tiger Moth ZK-BBK at Matamata Aerodrome Airport, Matamata New Zealand (NZMA) in 1961: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000913260.html
9. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1754834
10. http://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewEntity.do?code=7333
11. As ZK-CZX at Wigram 2.9.78: https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=109224
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inangahua_Junction
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murchison,_New_Zealand#Transport_and_infrastructure
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westport_Airport_(New_Zealand)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
09-Feb-2009 21:10	angels one five	Added
22-May-2009 02:32	XLerate	Updated
24-May-2009 04:03	angels one five	Updated
24-May-2009 04:51	angels one five	Updated
09-Jun-2009 21:28	XLerate	Updated
08-Aug-2020 03:21	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
17-Dec-2021 17:25	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
26-Jan-2022 05:00	Ron Averes	Updated [Aircraft type, Location]
07-Feb-2022 04:30	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
22-Feb-2022 23:30	Ron Averes	Updated [Operator, Damage]