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Post by johnrhodes on Feb 23, 2019 19:09:49 GMT 12
Hello! I'm writing about aircraft crashes in the Tararuas. Several RNZAF planes have crashed in and near the range. One was this:
Thursday November 20 1941 was a bad day for the RNZAF, with two crashes in the lower North Island. LAC G.C. Stewart, piloting Hawker Hind biplane NZ1518 to Ohakea from Paraparaumu, became disoriented in cloud and spiralled down into bush east of Waikanae. He walked out concussed but otherwise unhurt. The pilot of another Hind located the wreck and a ground party retrieved some components and set fire to the rest. Stewart later flew in north Africa.
In the late 1960s the Ministry of Defence gave the remaining wreckage of the Hind to Auckland's Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT), which then had the challenge of finding it. The Kapiti Branch of NZDA searched the rugged, densely bushed terrain to no avail, but in 1971 a member of an Aviation Historical Society of NZ group searching for the wreck stumbled upon it. The Rolls Royce engine and the undercarriage, wheels and tyres were still in good condition. Enthusiasts cleared the site for an RNZAF helicopter which lifted the parts out in 1972. MOTAT combined them with those of another Hind to make an aircraft for static display.
All I can find about the location of this crash is that it was "in the hills behind Waikanae", but I need to know more precisely. The Archives NZ file on the crash does not help. Is anyone from the 1971 AHSNZ team that found the crash, still alive?
I can be emailed at rhodesja@xtra.co.nz and would love to know more if anyone can help. Thank you!
John Rhodes (Greytown)
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Post by madmax on Feb 23, 2019 22:35:11 GMT 12
Hello John, While I'm unable to assist you in pin-pointing the location of the Hind crash I am curious to know if you are related to an Athol Rhodes from Greytown who had an involvement in aviation many decades ago?
Cheers, Madmax
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Post by thomarse on Feb 24, 2019 7:45:30 GMT 12
Madmax, was Athol known as Barney? Publican of the Morrison's Bush, owner of the Taylorcraft BSW?
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Post by denysjones on Feb 24, 2019 8:57:06 GMT 12
Hi John, I wasn't part of the finding team but I visited the site at Easter 1971 with Ross Macpherson and Mitch Lovett and photos of that can be found on this thread rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/5881/hawker-hind-recovery-photosRoss is long dead and Mitch went back to Aussie whence he originated so I doubt you'd be able to track him down I don't recall the names of any other AHSNZ people who were on the case. The site wasn't too far off the main road and my recollection of the walk-in was that it wasn't too hard nor long in duration as we were in and out plus the drive from and to central WLG easily within the day. We picked up Mitch and the went to Ross's place at Otaki so that might narrow things down for you. You might try and make contact with Chris Rudge who wrote the book "Missing" as he might have info on it in the course of his book research. good luck |
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Post by johnrhodes on Feb 24, 2019 11:21:24 GMT 12
This site is driving me crazy. I've typed a reply twice here and lost it twice. Let's hope this one sticks. No I'm not related to Athol (Barney) Rhodes but he was still around when we arrived in Greytown in 1966.
Now Denys, thank you! I think you can probably help me more. Please, would you email me at rhodesja@xtra.co.nz?
John
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Post by madmax on Feb 24, 2019 13:55:19 GMT 12
Hi John/thomarse, Athol Rhodes is reputed to have been building/built an aircraft incorporating surplus DH82 parts, probably in late 40s or early 50s. Can anyone confirm that?
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Post by tbf25o4 on Feb 25, 2019 7:33:12 GMT 12
National Archives holds all the RNZAF accident files up to 1958. If you were to go onto their "archway" website and search for the accident to NZ1518 in the air 25/ series of files
you should locate the relevant file. You can then order it and sight it during a visit to the archives. In the accident files is the complete record of the investigation with details of
the crash site etc.
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Post by johnrhodes on Feb 25, 2019 9:50:29 GMT 12
Thanks TBF2504
I was at Archives on Friday and went through the file (R21074650), but it has nothing about the precise crash site other than the pilot's statement that "I made my way down the creek bed to the nearest homestead".
However, it's interesting in that he describes his experience of being disoriented in cloud. I guess relatively few live to tell that tale.
Cheers
John
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Post by angelsonefive on Feb 25, 2019 9:56:35 GMT 12
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Post by johnrhodes on Feb 25, 2019 10:27:24 GMT 12
Many thanks, angelsonefive! This is definitely the best lead I've had, viz: "crashed into bush 8 miles east of Waikanae. (Location is near Waiotauru River, south of Otaki Forks)."
That's much further from Waikanae than I'd imagined. I've used this site for other Tararua crashes but for some reason failed to look there for Hind NZ1518.
Other aviation experts, please don't consider this correspondence closed if you have anything to add.
Cheers, and thank you again
John
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Post by thomarse on Feb 25, 2019 11:15:11 GMT 12
That's interesting - the Waiotauru River is quite a long way from Waikanae, 8 miles east figures. It's also behind the major ridge Kapakapanui and the only easy access is about 12 miles in via a long disused logging road off the summit of the Akatarawa Road, made in the 1960s- I'm sure Denys would remember the trip in there.
Not having been to the site, I'm in no position to debate this but my memory tells me that the site was on the "Waikanae Ridge" as glider pilots know it, parallel to and immediately above SH1 and I thought in the near vicinity of the Lodestar AKX. This fits with Denys' memory of being "not far from the main road". It also fits with the pilot's statement about finding his way down a creek to the nearest homestead which could mean either the Western side to the main road or the Eastern side to Reikorangi. If he had descended a creek into the Waiotauru, I think he'd still be there - it was very dense, untracked bush in those days and the Otaki Gorge is very difficult to negotiate
In the AHSNZ Journal many years ago there was a story written by the late Bud Mills about an exercise No 3 Squadron carried out to locate Tararua wrecks. Some AHSNZ stalwart might be able to locate that, or even articles about the recovery of the Hind
There's also "Papers Past" which might be worth a crack
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Post by shorty on Feb 25, 2019 20:53:00 GMT 12
I've got some newspaper clippings about the recovery (if I can find where I have put them) Ill see what I can find
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Post by johnrhodes on Feb 26, 2019 9:52:26 GMT 12
Thanks to both Thomarse and Shorty
If you go 8 miles directly east from Waikanae you come to the ridge immediately NW of the Waiotauru River, near Otaki Forks. This accords with the Aviation Safety website info and also with the fact that 'Otaki Forks' rang a bell for Denys. The lower Waiotauru was accessible through logging and farming operations that began in the early 1900s. There was a farming settlement at the Forks, which fits with Guthrie Stewart (the pilot) walking down a tributary stream of the Waiotauru and to the first house.
I found one small item on Papers Past for 1941 but would love to see the 1971 clippings about the recovery too!
Cheers guys (no girls in this forum?)
John
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Post by thomarse on Feb 26, 2019 17:36:09 GMT 12
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Post by emron on Feb 26, 2019 21:18:11 GMT 12
Posted elsewhere on the forum were some photos of the helicopter recovery. The backgrounds might help pinpoint the spot. In the slim chance that the crash site wasn’t picked clean years ago, when you do find it’s location and any wreckage still littering the forest there, be a tidy Kiwi and repatriate anything left back to MOTAT. No hurry, but we’ll soon be ready to resurrect that project once we’re done with the Sunderland, Solent, DC3, Ventura and Lodestar.  |
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Post by scrooge on Feb 27, 2019 8:55:50 GMT 12
If you google ‘Graeme cossgrove’s preserved aircraft stash’ there are some photos of the recovery operation.
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Post by baronbeeza on Feb 27, 2019 9:07:59 GMT 12
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Post by jonesy on Feb 27, 2019 23:42:54 GMT 12
That's interesting - the Waiotauru River is quite a long way from Waikanae, 8 miles east figures. It's also behind the major ridge Kapakapanui and the only easy access is about 12 miles in via a long disused logging road off the summit of the Akatarawa Road, made in the 1960s- I'm sure Denys would remember the trip in there. Not having been to the site, I'm in no position to debate this but my memory tells me that the site was on the "Waikanae Ridge" as glider pilots know it, parallel to and immediately above SH1 and I thought in the near vicinity of the Lodestar AKX. This fits with Denys' memory of being "not far from the main road". It also fits with the pilot's statement about finding his way down a creek to the nearest homestead which could mean either the Western side to the main road or the Eastern side to Reikorangi. If he had descended a creek into the Waiotauru, I think he'd still be there - it was very dense, untracked bush in those days and the Otaki Gorge is very difficult to negotiate In the AHSNZ Journal many years ago there was a story written by the late Bud Mills about an exercise No 3 Squadron carried out to locate Tararua wrecks. Some AHSNZ stalwart might be able to locate that, or even articles about the recovery of the Hind There's also "Papers Past" which might be worth a crack Hi guys, AKX "Kereru" crashed on our family farm, my father and grandfather led the recovery team to the site. I dont recall dad ever talking about any other crash in the vicinity, although he wouldve been overseas at the time. We used to walk into the site as kids to see the wreckage, and in '88 I joined in with the exercise using 3 Sqn to bring out whatever was useful for the museum to use. Possibly more NE of that location would be the Hind? Naybe accessed from Te Horo way perhaps? |
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Post by thomarse on Feb 28, 2019 11:55:03 GMT 12
Hi Jonesy
You've been quiet lately... you and I had a common interest in another subject once, maybe RNZAF Weraroa?
I'm following this one with interest and look forward to confirmation of the location
Thomarse (Jones)
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ibbs
Leading Aircraftman
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Post by ibbs on Jun 13, 2023 8:11:19 GMT 12
The co-ordinates for the Hind crash site are NZ TOPO 50 Map BP32, 1779225 5474339 (or 40 51 44.71S 175 07 35.64E). The site is beside a hunters track that runs along the ridge to the east of the Mangaone stream. All that indicates there was a crash there is the approx 250 sq mtrs of regenerating scrub as a result of the fire. The site looks directly across the valley towards the Lodestar crash site. Ian
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