A costly week for the RNZAF - May 1939

[Dave Homewood]

During the second week of 1939 the RNZAF suffered five crashes, of various degrees. This must have been the most costly week to date in the RNZAF's history I'd think.

I don't have all the details and would like to piece them together. I have a newspaper report that mentions the five incidents. They are:

- Date unknown that week - an aircraft from Wigram believed to be an Avro 626 struck a power line on the boundary of the station, cutting the lines and trailing them behind it as it landed. The undercarriage was damaged but repairable.

- Date unknown, aircraft unkown, location most probably Wigram, a aircrfat was danaged in a cross-wind landing when a wingtip touched the ground with great force, wrenching the wing off and straining all the fabric.

- 10 May 1939 - Baffin NZ160 (S1674) crashed into the sea at Pigeon Bay. The crew were unharmed and the aircraft was recovered but was severely damaged and was in fact left dumped on a farm (I wonder if it is still there!)

- 11 May 1939 - Vildebeest NZ110 sruck trees on a night landing, crashed and burned, killing all three aboard.

- 12 May 1939 - unknown type taking off from Wigram on a routine flight struck a wire fence smashing the propeller tips and shredding one of the tyres. The pilot's skill managed to get the aircraft down without further issue.

Can anyone here add to details of the three crashes not listed as 10 and 11 May? I have more details on the two 10th and 11th of May incidents.

[shorty]

The Baffin fuel tank at least survived until the early 80's, it was recovered by Bunny Darby and taken north. For a while it was stored at my house in Riccarton. If any other bits were there at that time I feel sure he would have grabbed them. It was only the size of the tank that meant it had to stay at my place until transport couls be arranged.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Shorty. So is that the Baffin that Charles has the remains of, or is this a supplementary parts source for that Baffin?

Apparently when it was recovered form the sea, the engine, prop, undercarriage, instrument panel, exhausts, tail skid, starter handle and voltage regulator boxes were salveged by the RNZAF, and the rest was cut up and stacked on Mr Barney Tosswill's property. they didn't burn it due to fire risk (dry grass) and they didn't sink it in the sea in case there was a risk to shipping. So if Barny didn't use the bits round his farm there may have been a fair bit left there.

[shorty]

I think it is just extra bits that he collected, although I am not 100% sure..
In fact, thinking harder (it was a long time ago) I collected the tank from Pigeon Bay, not Bunny, as it wouldn't fit in his car and I had access to a trailer. There were also Mosquito parts in a shed further around the bay on a different property.

[Peter Lewis]

Many years ago (when the world was young and green) I happened to attend a Christchurch AHSNZ meeting.
The main part of the evening was devoted to viewing some old home movies (silent, of course) that were made by the family of Sir Bruce Stewart, who had resided at Pidgeon Bay on Banks Peninsular.
Most of the filming involved shots of the DH80A Puss Moth ZK-ACX which Stewart owned from 1931 to 1935 and which he flew from a strip on his own property.
However, there was also coverage of the wreckage of an Air Force Baffin in the water at Pidgeon Bay and its subsequent recovery. This could well have been NZ160 as mentioned above, unless there was another that crashed into the water near the same location.
Someone who was involved with AHSNZ Christchurch in the past may know of the location of these movies.

My memory may be faulty on this point, but I seem to remember that the movie was in colour.

[Dave Homewood]

Peter, that is excellent information. You have reminded me that some time ago David Duxbury told me in an email that he too had attended that meeting where Sir Bruce's COLOURED 1930's aviaition films were shown. he mentioned there was footage of a DH86 in such vivid colour it was like it was taken yesterday.

He never mentioned the Baffin stuff but I can confirm that Sir Bruce was definately involved in the recovery of NZ160 from the water. He offered the services of his launch and after the aircraft was winched up beside the Lyttleton steamer SS John Anderson where the parts I mentioned above were cut off, Sir Bruce towed the remainder of the aircraft to the shore and it was dragged out of the water in sections by Barney Tosswell's horses.

Apparently Sir Bruce Stewart was also an officer in the Air Force at one point. Does anyone know more about him? He was born in 1904 so will be long gone now sadly.

Who do I contact to try to find copies of these amazing films?

[tbf25o4]

Dave,
probably the most costly "Day" in RNZAF history for individual aircraft crashes was in February 1945 when seven corsairs and their pilots were lost when they were providing cover for the downed pilot over Rabaul.
A research of the accident files will show probably more than five crashes around NZ and the forward area, ranging from total wrtie offs to minor damage

cheers

Paul

[Dave Homewood]

Cheers Paul. When I said 'to date' I meant to that date (may 1939), not till now. I was not specific enough about that, sorry.

The loss of those Corsairs is pretty famous thanks to Bryan Cox and others keeping the story alive, but there were more costly crashes in lived too, with a Dakota and a Catalina full of people being lost at various late war points, and not to mention the two No. 4 Squadron Hudsons that disappeared and probably collided with two crews and several passengers aboard. Thank goodness we haven't had disasters like that since the war.

[shorty]

What about the 2 Devons on 15-10-53 over Wigram? Seven people were lost in those.That equals the Green Island tragedy.

[Dave Homewood]

15 people were lost in the Catalina NZ4006 on 5th of June 1943 and 12 people died in Catalina NZ4022 on the 27th of Jan 1945.

Worse still 20 were lost in Dakota NZ3526 on 24 Sept 1945 on their way home from the war.

[shamus]

Have just come across this thread and took a look at my list of RNZAF Accident reports which begins at 1929. The following two are correct;- 11 May 39 Vildebeest NZ110, Wigram, and the report number is, 25/2/21. 10th May 39 Baffin A1674 at Banks Peninsular, Report number, 25/2/22. These reports are available from the Archives in Wellington.
The other ones mentioned do not appear in the list of reports, and I am wondering if they could have been civil aircraft as the RNZAF report system was up and working some 10 years before these incidents. Their was a Vildebeeste crash at Wigram on 12 Feb 39 NZ102 crash landed. Report No. 25/2/17. Hope this helps in some way.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Shamus, yes I'd seen the crash reports on the Archway site, and in fact have the Baffin report. I suppose it is indeed possible that the other three may have been civil aeroplanes. My initial info came from a newspaper clipping that was in the Baffin report. I guess the local newspaper may have covered the others further during that week.

[isobel]

Nov 12, 2008 12:41:34 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

During the second week of 1939 the RNZAF suffered five crashes, of various degrees. This must have been the most costly week to date in the RNZAF's history I'd think.

I don't have all the details and would like to piece them together. I have a newspaper report that mentions the five incidents. They are:

- Date unknown that week - an aircraft from Wigram believed to be an Avro 626 struck a power line on the boundary of the station, cutting the lines and trailing them behind it as it landed. The undercarriage was damaged but repairable.

- Date unknown, aircraft unkown, location most probably Wigram, a aircrfat was danaged in a cross-wind landing when a wingtip touched the ground with great force, wrenching the wing off and straining all the fabric.

- 10 May 1939 - Baffin NZ160 (S1674) crashed into the sea at Pigeon Bay. The crew were unharmed and the aircraft was recovered but was severely damaged and was in fact left dumped on a farm (I wonder if it is still there!)

- 11 May 1939 - Vildebeest NZ110 sruck trees on a night landing, crashed and burned, killing all three aboard.

- 12 May 1939 - unknown type taking off from Wigram on a routine flight struck a wire fence smashing the propeller tips and shredding one of the tyres. The pilot's skill managed to get the aircraft down without further issue.

Can anyone here add to details of the three crashes not listed as 10 and 11 May? I have more details on the two 10th and 11th of May incidents.

[isobel]

I am just wondering if anyone knows the Location of the crash of the Vildebeest NZ110 in May 1939. Would it be in between where Wigram Road and Rich Terrace is now in that gulley with the Willow Trees?

[isobel]

I am just wondering if anyone knows more about the location of the crash in Wigram involving the Vikers Vildebeest in May 1939 as George West was one of my Ancestors and we have just moved into the area. Would it be between Wigram Road and Rich Terrace in the Willows there?

[Dave Homewood]

I'm afraid I don't know where the exact point of impact was, and none of the newspaper reports from the time mention anything other than it was the south-west boundary of the airfield where the aircraft struck the trees. You might have to retrieve a copy of the accident file from Archives New Zealand, or perhaps ask the Air Force Museum of New Zealand's staff as they possibly will know - [e-mail]