Date:	Friday 3 June 1960
Time:	day
Type:	De Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Pene Tablelands Ltd, Kaeo
Registration:	ZK-BFX
MSN:	83145
Engine model:	de Havilland Gipsy Major
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	Matauri Bay, Northland -   New Zealand
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Agricultural
Departure airport:	Kaeo, Northland Region, Far North District
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
de Havilland DH82a Tiger Moth MSN 83145 (Gipsy Major #83130); Taken on charge as T5378 at 20 MU RAF Aston Down, Minichinhampton, Gloucestershire 9.5.40. To 3 EFTS RAF Watchfield 19.9.40. Crashed 29.12.40 [presunmed at Watchfield]; to DeHavilland at Witney, Oxfordshire for repairs 6.1.41. To 19 EFTS RAF Sealand, Flintshire 23.3.41. To 24 EFTS RAF Sealand, Flintshire 7.2.42. To 9 MU RAF Cosford, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire 16.7.45. To 63 Group Comm Flight, RAF Hawarden, Cheshire 17.4.52. To 10 MU RAF Hullavington, Chippenham, Wiltshire 8.10.52 for long-term storage pending disposal.

Struck off charge when sold 24.10.53 to W.A. Rollason Ltd, Croydon. UK civil registered as G-ANPZ (C of R R4556) 26.4.54 to W.A. Rollason Ltd, Croydon Airport, Croydon, Surrey. C of A A4556 issued 14.6.54. Registration G-ANPZ cancelled 16.6.54 as 'sold to New Zealand'.

Re-registered in New Zealand as ZK-BFX 29.7.54 to Aerial Farming of NZ Ltd, Palmerston North. NZ C of A issued 27.8.54. Badly damaged when struck hillside on take-off near Taihape, Rangitikei District, North Island 22.11.55. Pilot: Shirtcliffe.

Repaired and returned to service; re-registered 15.10.56 to F.J. McDonald. Re-registered 10.7.57 to Airspread (Taranaki) Ltd, Stratford. Re-registered 20.4.60 to Te Pene Tablelands Ltd, Kaeo. Badly damaged in forced landing near Matauri Bay, Northland 3.6.60; repaired and returned to service. Matauri Bay is a bay in New Zealand, situated 30 km north of Kerikeri, in Whangaroa county, just north of the Bay of Islands

Re-registered 29.4.63 to H de Heus, Auckland. Re-registered 6.8.63 to Weedair (NZ) Ltd, Auckland. Withdrawn From Use 7.64.

Regd 14.6.74 to Ian Bennie, Auckland; named "Freedom"; he rebuilt it using some parts from ZK-BAN, ZK-COU and ZK-BFX and the Tiger Moth flew again in November 1974.

To USA with Ian Bennie 3.75; he freighted the Tiger Moth by air to the USA, where it was rebuilt and reflown 7.4.75. The aircraft - and Ian - were damaged in a crash following a stall on approach to Mojave Airport, California, 22.6.75 [piloted by Ian Bennie]; rebuilt (again) in 1975-76.

Still as ZK-BFX, he won the 'International Award' for his restoration work at the Oshkosh meet in 1976. NZ registration ZK-BFX cancelled 21.10.76 as 'sold in the USA'. Re-registered in the USA as N99108 (applcation dated 19.1.77) 28.3.77 to Robert Elmer Milligan, Las Vegas (application jointly with Ian Bennie, Van Nuys, California; Bill of Sale by Bennie to Milligan 21.3.77 but probably remained jointly owned). C of A issued 18.5.77; based at Whiteman Airport. Sold 3.3.78 & re-registered 31.3.78 to Donald R & Gayle N Young, Santa Barbara, California (based Camarillo Airport). Sold 2.4.83 and re-registered 12.7.83 to Wayne S & Sandra A Elliott, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

Badly damaged when crashed during low level aerobatics five miles South of Orland, Califonia 5.6.85. Sold (in March 1986) to Tom Kewin, Mill Valley, CA for rebuild [sold for $500], but probably used for spares. Registration N99108 cancelled 30.5.2013 by FAA.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft T1000-V9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain)
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ANPZ.pdf
3. https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1755208
4. Tiger Moth ZK-BFX 'Freedom' at Auckland, NZ 1976: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/001064038.html
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p831.html
6. http://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewEntity.do?code=7333
7. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
8. https://www.austairdata.com.au/component/rsdirectory/entry/view/56835-zk-bfx-1
9. https://rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/22361/ian-bennie
10. Crash 5.6.85: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001214X36917&AKey=1&RType=Summary&IType=LA
11. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N99108
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matauri_Bay

Other occurrences involving this aircraft


22 November 1955	ZK-BFX	Aerial Farming of NZ Ltd	0	Taihape, Whanganui 4		sub
22 June 1975	ZK-BFX	I. Bennie	0	Mojave Airport, California		sub

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
22-May-2009 12:58	XLerate	Added
11-Dec-2021 00:03	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Category, ]
22-Jan-2022 03:51	Ron Averes	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, ]