ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 58826
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| Date: | Sunday 14 January 1962 |
| Time: | 16:10 LT |
| Type: | CAC CA-6 Wackett Trainer |
| Owner/operator: | Mr Jim Knight |
| Registration: | VH-BEC |
| MSN: | 373 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Location: | 276NM NW of Ceduna, SA -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Ceduna, SA (YCDU) |
| Cook, SA | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On 14 January 1962, Mr James Knight was flying from Melbourne to Perth. On the leg from Ceduna to Cook he became lost and low on fuel, safely landed in the desert.The aeroplane ground looped on landing and the starboard flap was damaged. A search involving 18 aircraft was conducted over the next 19 days without success. Knight had remained with the aircraft after it force-landed and inscribed a diary and his Last Will and Testament on the fuselage panels; the last diary entry was made on 20 January 1962. It is presumed from this, that, having remained with his aircraft for five days, he had given up hope of being found with or near his aircraft, and had wandered off into the South Australian Desert to look for help, but his remains were never found.
On March 28 1965 a Hudson survey plane found the Wackett in the desert, 276 nautical miles north-west of where he had set off from (Ceduna, SA). A ground party arrived on the 6th April and found the CA-6 to be in good condition despite 3 years in the harsh conditions. Messages had been written by Mr Knight. One note scratched on the fuselage mentioned that the forward compass had an error of 30 degrees which may explain why he was over 40 degrees off his planned course. The CA-6 was recovered in 1977 and restored in 1981. It is on display at the Central Australian Aviation Museum in Alice Springs.
Sources:
1. http://www.warmuseums.com.au/Central%20Australian%20Aviation%20Museum%20-%20Alice%20Springs.htm
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CAC_Wackett#Operational_history
3. http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/.au/2a3.htm
4. https://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/wackett/A3-139.html
5. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austb/VH-BEC.html
6. https://flic.kr/p/8cPZAZ
Images:
Central Australian Aviation Museum, Alice Springs, 10Jul2009
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Feb-2009 22:47 | VH-KDK | Added |
| 23-Jul-2009 01:55 | flyernzl | Updated |
| 11-Apr-2013 18:06 | TB | Updated |
| 28-Mar-2014 23:12 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Total fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 28-Mar-2014 23:16 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
| 07-Aug-2014 19:16 | TB | Updated [Total fatalities] |
| 09-Jun-2022 23:01 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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