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Post by vgp on Apr 27, 2008 17:16:43 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 27, 2008 17:58:27 GMT 12
I had a feeling that there might be RNZAF or ex-RNZAF people involved. Again, my condolences.
I had never heard of that Dakota crash Sniff. But it remoinded me of the double fatal Hudson crash in the water there just near the Greenhithe Bridge. The wreckage is still there today.
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Post by beagle on Apr 27, 2008 21:02:51 GMT 12
the youngest guy in the above image with the dark sun glasses, just trying to think of his name, was or still is air force.
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Post by haughtney1 on Apr 28, 2008 10:40:34 GMT 12
A damn shame to lose good people in aviating accidents. Condolences to those affected.
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Post by Peter Lewis on Apr 28, 2008 12:52:53 GMT 12
Waynes Funeral Arrangements Wayne’s Funeral Service is to be held at the Whenuapai Aviation Sport Club Hangar Thursday May 1st 13.00hrs (1.00pm)
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Post by Dave Homewood on Apr 28, 2008 14:37:36 GMT 12
It seems there was a very heroic rescue attempt made by an RNZAF officer immediately after the crash. Full credit to him, I hope he recovers soon. From: www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=665&objectid=10506592Fatal flight 'spur of the moment', says widow5:00AM Monday April 28, 2008 By Elizabeth Binning The wreckage of the Thorp S-18 after the fatal crash. Photo / Greg Bowker Brent Baldwin wasn't meant to be in the air on Saturday but his love of flying meant he could not refuse an offer for a quick cruise with his old Air Force buddy Wayne Matthews. "It was like a spur of the moment thing," his widow, Lori Baldwin, said last night. "Wayne had taken my husband's friend up and then he came back and they were ready to leave and he said, 'Come on, you have time, let's do one more." Mr Baldwin was last seen by his friend on the ground giving the thumbs up as the Thorp S-18, called Rosie 3, took off along the runway for a "touch and go" circuit. "They touched down and went to do their second one ... but he only got to 500 feet before he did a sharp turn and crashed." The homebuilt plane - which was being flown by Mr Matthews - nose-dived, clipped the side of a building and crashed into the ground, landing just metres from a highly flammable liquid oxygen storage area in the Whenuapai air base grounds. The explosion was heard throughout the base and within seconds dozens of staff had run to the scene to find the crumpled wreckage on fire. One of the first to arrive was an Air Force commanding officer who risked his life to try to save the men. Not concerned about the highly flammable liquid oxygen, the officer reached into the front of the burning plane and pulled out Mr Baldwin, dragging him away from the debris. He was unable to free Mr Matthews, who later had to be cut out by fire-fighters. Incident controller Wing Commander Richard Marshall said the officer received minor burns to his arms and a cut to his head while pulling Mr Baldwin out in such dangerous conditions. "It was a huge explosion and [the wreckage] was on fire from that explosion. It was very heroic, really. The guy has really risked his life to try and save someone and in the process of it he has been hurt." Yesterday afternoon many of the dead men's friends were still in a state of shock, not believing that such a tragedy was possible - especially with such a "meticulous" pilot as Mr Matthews. The retired Air Force wing commander had spent around 1800 hours building the $100,000 Thorp S-18 and had recently flown it non stop around New Zealand. He spent nearly every second day either flying or cleaning his beloved aircraft and colleagues say it came second only to his wife and three children. The 62-year-old was actively involved in the Whenuapai Aviation Sports Club where he was instrumental in implementing a number of projects. Mr Baldwin, also a father of three, was also a former Air Force navigator but left about 17 years ago. The 46-year-old had flown for the United Nations during the Iran/Iraq war before returning to New Zealand to start his own IT business. Mrs Baldwin said flying was her husband's passion and he had recently joined the Whenuapai club. "He was just in heaven when he was in the sky." Club chief executive Rob Shearer said club members planned to hold a commemorative barbecue for the men next Saturday. "It will be a BBQ and a few drinks and everyone will have the opportunity to have a few words - that's exactly what Wayne did. He would go flying and he would come back after a day's flying and have few beers at the club and talk about flying." Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority investigation, which is expected to take months, will continue today when the engine is removed for testing to see if it was still working when the plane nose-dived.
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Post by tbf25o4 on Apr 28, 2008 15:41:14 GMT 12
The DC3 that crashed off Herald island was fully recovered barged to hobby and then stripped so the spar in the mud isn't from that one!
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 1, 2008 18:13:45 GMT 12
The funeral today was a highly emotional experience for the hundreds who attended. Thank you Bruce - and anyone else from here whom I did not recognise - for taking the time to show your respects.
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Post by Bruce on May 1, 2008 19:21:27 GMT 12
It was good to catch up Peter, and its always good to meet the Auckland SAA guys, pity it was such a sad occasion. Wayne is going to be missed a lot.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 1, 2008 20:12:51 GMT 12
I was at my uncles funeral today, another incredible experience.
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 4, 2008 18:02:58 GMT 12
We held the wake at Whenuapai yesterday afternoon. A moving occasion. I managed to visit the crash site now that all wreckage has been removed for the investigation. Incredible that the aircraft managed to come down in such a small grassed area. From what I am told by those who were there and observed, they were doing a low-level (600') circuit on to runway 08. They seemed to have got into a spin at about the end of the the downwind leg (this situation is invariably fatal) but the as yet unanswered question is - why? View of the crash area. Note the nearest houses not that far away: Looking back in the other direction, the gas bottle storage is the concrete block building on the right. The only actual building damage now visible is the window on the garage building to the left. Note how close the crash site is to the 40sdn hangar at the rear of the photo: Location map of Whenuapai, arrow marks the site:
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 4, 2008 18:27:38 GMT 12
Sad photos Peter. Though interesting to see all the same. I would have expected more of an impact crater from an aircraft spinning into the grass. Has it been filled? It doesn't look to have been.
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Post by mikemercury on Jul 2, 2008 13:37:35 GMT 12
The DC3 that crashed off Herald island was fully recovered barged to hobby and then stripped so the spar in the mud isn't from that one! From I have gathered, the aircraft remains (that can still be seen) are from the Liberator that crashed Aug 2nd 1943. If anyone has some further info about this I would be interested.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 2, 2008 14:36:15 GMT 12
Welcome to the forum Mike.
No, the remains that are still able to be seen from the Greenhithe Bridge when looking towards Herald Island are from a Hudson, NZ2024 that stalled on landing, killing two pilots who were doing a check flight on the 25th of February 1943.
The Liberator was well and truly recovered and disposed of, as the mission was of a secret nature and no trace was left.
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Post by Brett on May 27, 2010 18:01:50 GMT 12
Whenuapai air crash 'still a mystery' NZPA Last updated 14:47 27/05/2010 Air crash investigators say it is still a mystery why a high-performance home-built plane, which had just completed a non-stop circumnavigation of New Zealand, crashed into the ground at a military aerodrome, killing its two occupants. The crash at Whenuapai in April 2008 killed the owner and builder of the Thorp S-18W plane, record-breaking pilot Wayne Matthews, 62, of Greenhithe - who was vice-president of the Sport Aircraft Association - and his passenger, Brent Baldwin, 46, of West Harbour, a qualified pilot. Both men were former Royal New Zealand Air Force navigators. Mr Matthews built the $100,000 plane - nicknamed Rosie - from scratch in the garage of his home over five years, and refused to let anyone else fly the aircraft, which could reach speeds of 320kmh. He had recently flown around the country in the plane, covering 2097 nautical miles in 16 hours. Eyewitnesses said the plane flew over the airbase, made a sharp right-hand turn, and appeared to stall, going into a nosedive at a very steep angle. It ploughed into the ground, between the headquarters of the RNZAF 40 Squadron and the base administration block, clipping a small shed. It exploded into flames but missed a highly-flammable liquid oxygen storage area. Civil Aviation Authority investigator Alan Moselen said today his probe of the crash "could not establish with any certainty why the aircraft departed from controlled flight". The possibility of a pre-existing defect in the airframe or engine that could have contributed to the crash was eliminated. "There was no evidence to indicate an engine failure occurred," Mr Moselen said. "It is considered unlikely that there was a flight control or systems problem." He noted a medical condition leading to pilot incapacitation or distraction could not be fully ruled out, but the opinion of CAA's medical expert was that such an event was unlikely to have directly contributed to the cause of the accident. An autopsy on Mr Matthews found he had significant heart disease, which dead muscle fibres suggested was myocarditis. In theory, he could have suffered chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness or even an abnormal heart rhythm. www.stuff.co.nz/national/3746157/Whenuapai-air-crash-still-a-mystery
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 27, 2010 22:26:31 GMT 12
It is considered unlikely that there was a flight control or systems problem Hmmm
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Post by philip on May 28, 2010 8:44:11 GMT 12
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Post by corsair67 on May 28, 2010 12:08:41 GMT 12
Although it has been dismissed as a factor in the cause of this accident - if an aileron counterweight was to separate in-flight, would this create any major problems with the control of the aircraft?
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Post by lumpy on May 28, 2010 12:36:49 GMT 12
Although it has been dismissed as a factor in the cause of this accident - if an aileron counterweight was to separate in-flight, would this create any major problems with the control of the aircraft? I doubt many people have actually had one fail in flight ( but feel free to correct me if anyone has ), but I would imagine it would be a little like loseing your power steering , or brake booster in your car . In theory you would still be in full control , however the dramatic difference in the feel of the controls means that an accident would be very easy to occour .
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 28, 2010 15:18:24 GMT 12
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