ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 65567
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| Date: | Thursday 28 October 1943 |
| Time: | 11:30 |
| Type: |  De Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth |
| Owner/operator: | 2 EFTS RNZAF |
| Registration: | NZ666 |
| MSN: | 83470 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Near Darfield, Canterbury -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | RNZAF Ashburton, South Island, New Zealand (NZAS) |
RNZAF Tiger Moth NZ666 (c/no.83470): Previously RAF Tiger Moth T5761. Built at Cowley, UK and assembled in NZ. Shipped to New Zealand on 5 July 1940 on the s.s."Rangitikei" and BOC by the RNZAF at Unit 18 Rongotai 8 October 1940. With No.4 EFTS, Whenuapai 1941. With No.2 EFTS Ashburton from August 1943.
Crashed near Darfield, Selwyn District, Canterbury, South Island, on 28 October 1943 while with No.2 EFTS. The aircraft went into a spin after a tight turn at low altitude and impacted with a hill. Pilot Officer Brian Levet killed and LAC Graham Gunn injured, but died 3 days later in hospital.
According to an account of the incident in a contemporary local newspaper ("Auckland Star", Volume LXXIV, Issue 258, 30 October 1943, Page 4):
"28 October 1943 - When an aircraft of the Royal New Zealand Air Force engaged on dual flying instruction from a South Island air station crashed the pilot lost his life. He was Pilot-Officer Brian Charles LEVET, whose wife is Mrs O Levet, of 14 Ngake Street, Orakei. Pilot-Officer Levet was the son of Mr and Mrs R Levet, of 3 Seaview Terrace, Mount Albert. Aged 24, he was educated at the Gladstone Road and Mount Albert Grammar Schools. He joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force about 18 months ago, and received all his flying training in the Dominion. He was recently posted as an instructor at a South Island station.
An airman under training, Leading-Aircraftman Graham Alexander GUNN, 20 years, son of Mrs R S Gunn, of Darfield, was seriously injured and died of his injuries on 31 October 1943."
Crew of Tiger Moth NZ666:
P/O Brian Levet (Instructor Pilot, NZ425265) RNZAF - killed in service 28.10.43.
LAC Graham Alexander Gunn (Pilot u/t, NZ433751) RNZAF- survived, but severely injured, died 31.10.43 of injuries sustained
Written off books at Ashburton on 8 November 1943 as "reduced to spares".
Sources:
1. Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 258, 30 October 1943, Page 4
2. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/nz-serials/nzdh82.htm
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p834.html
4. https://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/RNZAF%20Stations%20South%20Island.htm
5. https://www.sooty.nz/miscairdeaths.html
6. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2919592/BRIAN%20CHARLES%20LEVET/
8. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2920166/GRAHAM%20ALEXANDER%20GUNN/
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfield,_New_Zealand
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 11-Jun-2009 19:43 | angels one five | Added |
| 30-Sep-2009 02:00 | angels one five | Updated |
| 25-Jan-2012 15:01 | Nepa | Updated [Time, Registration, Operator, Narrative] |
| 26-May-2012 18:03 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Sep-2013 22:04 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 28-Feb-2018 08:21 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 15-Nov-2018 10:42 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Operator] |
| 20-Aug-2021 18:41 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 20-Aug-2021 22:44 | Anon. | Updated [Time, Operator, Narrative, Operator] |
| 27-Aug-2021 00:30 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 26-Jan-2022 06:07 | Ron Averes | Updated [Aircraft type] |
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