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Post by agile on Sept 7, 2010 21:12:49 GMT 12
I was talking to a landowner inland from Seddon today, who mentioned in passing that, during the Second World War a Harvard on a training flight crashed in a remote valley on the neighbouring property after a wing separated while flying at low level. The two crew were both killed.
Strangely enough I was working near the site a couple of years ago - the joker I was talking to was surprised I hadn't seen the remains.
Apparently much of the aircraft remains at the site, and the local Lions are to unveil a memorial tablet there at Labour Weekend, with members of both crewmen's families present. Also present will be a gentleman who, as a boy saw the incident from another neighbouring property. The only access into the site at the time (this is seriously steep country) was on horseback, although a track was later bulldozed in, and the aircraft's engine recovered.
Perusal of the ADF serials website suggests NZ967 as the closest match:
"Issued to NZ under Empire Air Training Scheme. Shipped to New Zealand on "Waiotapu" in May 1941 and assembled at Hobsonville. BOC 20 May 1941. Test flown Hobsonville 22 September 1941. To No.2 SFTS Woodbourne. Crashed in the Omaka Valley during training flight on 17 February 1942 and written off. The aircraft was completing a low level, high speed diving turn when the starboard wing detached. It crashed into the ground in an inverted position. Flying Officer John Ferguson and LAC Allen Hansen killed."I'm not quite sure about the location, and as I'm in a motel I am long way from a decent map.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 7, 2010 22:39:28 GMT 12
Thanks for this information, it's good to see the victims are still remembered in the community.
I think there's at least one other Harvard wreck int he hils in that area where two trainee Harvard pilots were playing silly buggers, chasing one another. The first one hit the hill killing the pilot and the second only just escaped. The pilot who survived was officially drummed out of the RNZAF. it's described in Bryan Young's book The Beckoning Skies. He was on parade when they drummed the guy out, and ripped his wings off, etc.
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Post by agile on Sept 8, 2010 20:45:54 GMT 12
Yes, I think I saw that one too. Reading through the Harvard serials and their fate is a pretty sobering exercise, I guess mute testimony to the number of young blokes passing through Woodbourne at the time.
The guy I spoke to mentioned a couple of other things, one of which was that his neighbour had an "Auster topdressing plane" in his shed, which he "doesn't use any more". Agricola?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 8, 2010 21:15:49 GMT 12
Does he want to sell the doors? Anthony!!
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Post by agile on Apr 29, 2019 22:42:06 GMT 12
Sorry to dredge up this long-dead thread, but in researching another matter I came across this article which rounds out the story with a few facts: www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/4253151/Plaque-marks-fatal-1942-crashSo actually NZ962 - from NZDF Serials: Issued to NZ under Empire Air Training Scheme.
Shipped to New Zealand on "Waiotapu" in May 1941 and assembled at Hobsonville.
BOC 20 May 1941.
To No.2 SFTS Woodbourne.
Crashed inverted into hillside in low cloud near Ward at 1100 hours on 24 October 1942.
Sergeant Graham Steele and LAC Charles Rickey killed.
Written off books at Woodbourne 16 November 1942.It would have been nice if the article had given a location, although the landowners may have asked for it not to publicised I guess. The aircraft lies in one of the valleys on the north side of the Haldon Hills. RIP. |
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Post by thomarse on May 1, 2019 11:59:49 GMT 12
Interesting too that there was no further comment about the Auster
Anyone know any more? It definitely isn't an Agricola as they are all accounted for
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Post by delticman on May 1, 2019 12:56:14 GMT 12
Interesting too that there was no further comment about the Auster Anyone know any more? It definitely isn't an Agricola as they are all accounted for The Auster ZK-BDT crashed at Mt Duppa, and I found this. I've not checked the locations of the Harvard given in ADF. nelsontrails.co.nz/mt-duppa/ |
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Post by planewriting on May 1, 2019 18:48:29 GMT 12
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 1, 2019 19:54:44 GMT 12
Hmmm. . . . . Low wing? Nope Continental flat six? Nope Really ugly? Nope Not an Agricola then. Auster J-1B Aiglet ZK-BDT  |
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Post by agile on May 1, 2019 20:36:12 GMT 12
Note that the Auster was said to be in a shed and 'not used anymore' so probably not BDT unless she was resurrected following the Mt Duppa prang. A more productive line of enquiry would be Austers/owners based in the Seddon/Tetley Brook/Haldon Hills area.
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Post by planewriting on May 1, 2019 22:19:46 GMT 12
I'm getting a bit confused here. Where in the references on this thread to Harvard NZ962 is there a reference to an Auster? There is no doubt that ZK-BDT crashed on Mount Duppa but what has that got to do with the subject Harvard?
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Post by delticman on May 1, 2019 22:47:21 GMT 12
I'm getting a bit confused here. Where in the references on this thread to Harvard NZ962 is there a reference to an Auster? There is no doubt that ZK-BDT crashed on Mount Duppa but what has that got to do with the subject Harvard? The question was asked down below. The farmer said the Harvard had crashed and also an Auster (not an Agricola) which bits were still in his shed. Tom was asking what was the Auster? |
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Post by agile on May 2, 2019 17:16:01 GMT 12
My original quote from 2010 was... The guy I spoke to mentioned a couple of other things, one of which was that his neighbour had an "Auster topdressing plane" in his shed, which he "doesn't use any more". Agricola? It's not an Agricola, so the question would be what Auster topdressing plane would this be. Unlike say, 'Cessna', 'Auster' sorta implies the guy knew at least something about the subject (as did the tenor of the rest of the conversation IIRC), so I assume it isn't a Pawnee or an Agwagon etc. I have done a bit of inconclusive Googling, but I'm now genuinely curious.... |
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Post by planewriting on May 2, 2019 22:04:00 GMT 12
It still doesn't seem right about the Auster. nelsontrails.co.nz/mt-duppa/ states "Mt Duppa is the location of two plane crashes. The first was in November 1956, when Alan Hackston was flying an Auster topdressing aircraft between Nelson and Blenheim. Thick fog caused him to crash into the top of Mt Duppa. He suffered serious injuries and spent a night alone in the bush, but was rescued and made a full recovery. The other crash was in 2011, when former Olympic yachtsman Geoff Smale was killed after crashing his microlight plane... Where does it say in this thread that the Auster that crashed on Mount Duppa is the same one "not used anymore" in the shed? AS Agile says, "A more productive line of enquiry would be Austers/owners based in the Seddon/Tetley Brook/Haldon Hills area". |
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