Date:	Saturday 21 July 1934
Time:	15:30 LT
Type:	de Havilland DH.60 Moth
Owner/operator:	Ballarat Aero Club
Registration:	VH-UAG
MSN:	244
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Clunes Road, Miners Rest, Creswick, near Ballarat, VIC -   Australia
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
Destination airport:	Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

Narrative:
c/no. 244: DH.60 [Cirrus I] sold to Controller of Civil Aviation, Australia with C of A 974 issued 25.4.26. Registered as G-AUAG [C of R 136] 12.7.26 to Civil Aviation Branch, Dept of Defence, and issued to Australian Aero Club (Victoria Section), at Essendon, Melbourne, Victoria. Re-registered as VH-UAG 28.3.29.

Crashed at Ballarat, Victoria 21.7.34; pilot Roy Lovitt killed. According to contemporary newspaper reports (The Horsham Times (Horsham Victoria) Tuesday 24 Jul 1934 Page 1 - see link #1)

BALLARAT AIRMAN KILLED IN SMASH
Brother to Horsham Resident.
'PLANE DIVES 1,500 FEET
Swooping out of a loop into a spiral, spin, which developed into a headlong dive to earth from approximately 1,500 feet, Mr. Roy Lovitt, aged 24 years, a flying member. of the Ballarat Aero Club, crashed to his death in one of the Victorian Aero Club's D.H. Moth machines next to the Ballarat Common shortly after 3.30 p.m. on Saturday.

The tragedy occurred about two miles north-west of the aerodrome, and about 300 yards off the Clunes Road. With the engine roaring, indicating an open throttle, the machine was driven towards the earth at so terrific a speed that the engine was buried in the ground to a depth-of four feet while the 'plane was smashed to matchwood

The tail of the machine snapped off behind the cockpit and crashed forward over crumpled wings, and the broken propeller, and fragments of the machine was found yards from the scene.

The young airman was the son of Mr. G. Lovitt, an ex-superintendent of police, residing in Victoria Avenue, Ballarat, and a brother to Mr. Charles Lovitt of Wawunna road, Horsham.

Deceased and other members of the club were at the aerodrome on Saturday afternoon engaged air flying practice under the supervision of the club instructor (Captain Frank Roberts)

At the time of the crash, Lovitt was practising manoeuvres, preparing himself for a test for his passenger carrying' licence. Just before Mr Lovitt took the machine aloft, it bad been flown by Mr J Ross of Newlyn, another flying member of the club. Ross co-piloted his practice flight and landed at 3.15pm.

The 'plane, a D.H. Moth VH-UAG, was taken up by Lovitt, who had instructions to practice a 'half rolling manoeuvre', which, it is understood, is part of the training for pilots preparing for their passenger carrying licence. Lovitt, a keen and capable pilot, holding his 'A' class certificate, was flying solo, and the club's instructor (Capt. Roberts), in a second machine with Mr V. Wendt, a 'flying member' as a passenger, was in the air at the time. Wendt was receiving instructions and he said Captain Roberts were flying at a high altitude several miles to the south-west of the aerodrome.

Lovitt took off and flew to the north-west of the aerodrome, where he commenced his practice. He negotiated the half-roll many times and varied his practice with a little straight flying, then returning to the manoeuvre, which he seemed to have mastered.

Mr Lovitt had been in the air about 20 minutes, flying most of the time at an altitude of 1,500 to 2,000 feet, and was nearing the aerodrome when the machine went into what appeared to be a half-loop, which was followed by a sharp dive, during which the engine of the machine could be plainly heard by those at the aerodrome hangar.

These members did not take any more than casual notice of this, anticipating that the pilot would flatten out his machine, and reappear over the top of the trees on the near horizon. There followed a momentary silence, broken only by the drone of Roberts' machine in the south-west, and immediately after, there was a screaming noise, followed by the sound of a crash, the machine having continued on its dive to earth, which ended in a terrible impact.

Farmers in the vicinity, some of whom had been watching, rushed to the scene, expecting to find the wreckage in flames, but this had not occurred. Landing with his pupil at the hangar a few minutes after the crash, Captain Roberts received the report from Flying members Ross, D Barker and P Murphy. The instructor went aloft again and flew to the scene of the wrecked 'plane, where he circled and returned to the aerodrome, and telephoned for the ambulance and the police.

The father of deceased had accompanied the Ballarat football team to Horsham and was watching the progress of the match with his son, Mr. C. Lovitt, when news of the tragedy was brought' to the ground. They immediately set off for Ballarat".

There was a report on the Inquest into the death of the pilot (The Argus (Melbourne, Victoria, Friday 14 Sep 1934 Page 3 - see link #2)

"AIR CRASH NEAR BALLARAT
No Evidence of Cause
BALLARAT, Thursday
The inquest concerning the death of Roy Frederick Lovitt, aged 34 years, a member of the Ballarat Aero Club, on July 21, as the result of an aeroplane accident, was held at the City Court on Thursday afternoon by Mr. W. R. Reid, J.P., deputy coroner.

John Leslie Ross, farmer, of Newlyn, said he was the holder of an A class pilot's licence, and on July 21 he took a machine into the air and flew it for 25 minutes. It was in good order after his flight, and it was flown by the deceased. When it was about 1,500 feet from the ground, he saw it was coming down in a dive.

Frank Leonard Roberts, instructor at the aerodrome, said that Lovitt had held an A class pilot's licence, and had done about 20 hours' solo flying. The machine belonged to the Civil Aviation department.

The cause of the accident was difficult to understand, but something might have happened to the pilot in the air. In 99 per cent, of accidents a skilled observer could be practically certain of the cause, but in this case, there was no clear evidence on which to reach a decision.

A verdict of accidental death was recorded"

Registration VH-AUG cancelled same day of the crash, 21.7.34.

1. The Horsham Times (Horsham, Victoria) Tuesday 24 July 1934 Page 1 - report of crash): https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/72636144
2.The Argus (Melbourne, Victoria) Friday 14 September 1934 Page 3 - inquest into death of pilot): https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10969849
3. Sunday Times (Perth, WA Sunday 22 July 1934 Page 12 - report of crash): https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/61199905
4. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austu/G-AUAG.html
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-AU.html
6. As G-AUAG: https://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/page-australian-register/g-au?highlight=WyJ2aC11YWciXQ==
7. As VH-UAG: https://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/page-australian-register/vh-ua-um?highlight=WyJ2aC11YWciXQ==
8. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh60-ballarat-1-killed
9. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p002.html
10. http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/dh60.pdf
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballarat

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
05-Dec-2011 12:03	harro	Added
10-Jan-2014 16:44	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
07-Apr-2014 18:52	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
24-Aug-2017 14:47	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Registration, Source]
09-Jun-2022 20:24	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
22-Sep-2023 16:12	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Location]]
23-Sep-2023 06:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[[Location]]]
07-Nov-2023 08:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
22-Nov-2023 14:26	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]