Date:	Friday 23 January 1942
Time:	day
Type:	De Havilland DH.60M Moth
Owner/operator:	Stephens Aviation Ltd
Registration:	VH-UQY
MSN:	1565
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Wau, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea -   Papua New Guinea
Phase:	Standing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Wau, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea (WUG/AYWU)
Destination airport:

Narrative:
DH.60M to DH Australia without engine late 1930. Stored until erected and registered VH-UQY [C of R 464] 14.6.33 to De Havilland Aircraft Pty Ltd, Mascot; fitted with Gipsy III. Registered 30.10.33 to George B.S. Falkiner, Mascot, Sydney, NSW. Registered 8.1.36 to Eric G. Stephens, Wau, Morobe Province, Papua New Guines; named "Eros". Spun in and badly damaged at Lower Watut, Papua New Guinea 22.3.36. The following account of that accident is from the excellent book by James Sinclair entitled 'Wings of Gold - How the Aeroplane Developed New Guinea':

"In March 1936, George Mendham was doing some flying for Stephens Aviation and on a flight between the Slate Creek and Upper Watut aerodromes, loaded with cargo for the mining camps, the Moth was caught in violent cross winds, and it stalled and crashed. Mendham was injured and Dr Von de Borche, who walked in to the crash site, insisted he be carried by stretcher to Slate Creek aerodrome, where Neville Bruchhauser, ignoring the very bad weather conditions, flew him out to Wau in a DH.50 where the unfortunate "Bendum and Mendum" was admitted to hospital."

The wreckage of VH-UQY was recovered, and then flown out as cargo inside a Ford 5-AT to Wau for rebuild. Registered once more 26.8.37 to Stephens Aviation Ltd, Wau, PNG (presumably after completion of rebuild). C of A lapsed 10.1.38.

Crashed into Government store building on take-off Wau, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea 3.8.40, when it ran off the steep downward-sloping strip, narrowly missing two parked Guinea Airways aircraft to run into the Administration Store, with most of the Moth inside the wrecked building, pilot B.G. Hargreaves climbing out of the debris uninjured...

Planned rebuild abandoned, and VH-UQY was stored until destroyed in an air raid at Wau in 23.1.42. Registration finally cancelled 11.3.42 as "destroyed by enemy action"

1. 'Wings of Gold - How the Aeroplane Developed New Guinea' by James Sinclair
2. Journal of the Aviation Historical Society of Australia "Aviation Operations in New Guinea" by Eric Noble November/December 1973 page 85 (photo lower)
3. http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/dh60.pdf
4. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austu/VH-UQY.html
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_VH-U1.html
6. http://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/page-australian-register/vh-un-uz?highlight=WyJ2aC11cXkiXQ==
7. https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/dh60/VH-UQY.html
8. https://www.orpheusweb.co.uk/vicsmith/Accidents/Jan42.html
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wau_Airport_(Papua_New_Guinea)
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wau

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-Aug-2017 15:49	Dr. John Smith	Added
26-Jun-2023 16:28	Ron Averes	Updated
28-Sep-2023 16:17	Dr. John Smith	Updated