Date:	Sunday 5 November 1989
Time:	15:15
Type:	de Havilland DH-82a Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Brian C Holm
Registration:	VH-RTA
MSN:	DHA.258
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	Monduran Station, Monduran, Bundaberg, QLD -   Australia
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Monduran Station, Monduran, Bundaberg Region, Queensland
Destination airport:	Monduran Station, Monduran, Bundaberg Region, Queensland
Investigating agency:	BASI
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
de Havilland DH-82a Tiger Moth MSN DHA.258; Built by DH Australia at Bankstown, Sydney, NSW. Taken on charge by the RAAF as A17-239 at 2 Aircraft Depot, Richmond 3.2.41. To 1 EFTS Parafield 12.2.41. To Guinea Airways, Parafield 7.7.42 for overhaul; returned to 1 EFTS 19.10.42. To RAAF Tamworth 29.5.44. To DH Australia at Mascot, Sydney, NSW 3.9.44 for overhaul (DHA No T291). To 2 Airctaft Park, Bankstown, Sydney, NSW 9.11.44. To RAAF Tamworth 15.11.44 for storage; transferred to Care & Maintenance Unit 12.12.44. To 2 Aircraft Depot, Richmond 9.4.45. To 23 Squadron, RAAF Fenton 1.6.45. To 14 ARD Gorrie 4.6.45. To 10 EFTS Temora 19.9.45 for storage; transferred to Care & Maintenance Unit 12.3.46; for sale 7.6.46.

Struck off RAAF charge when sold 6.9.46 for £100 to Association of Australian Aero Clubs, Sydney; issued 21.9.46. Australian civil registered as VH-BDV (C of R 1354) 4.7.47 to Royal Aero Club of NSW, Mascot (registered with MSN "T291" - presumably a reference to the 1944 overhaul). Crashed West Hoxton, NSW 1.4.56. Re-registered as VH-RSA 30.5.56 to same owner. Re-registered as VH-RTA 21.5.58 to P R Dowling, Moulamein, NSW. Re-registered 10.8.59 to Robert J McCosh, Mailors Flat, Victoria. Re-registered 12.9.60 to Kevin J Reidy, t/a Air-Spread Australia, Moorabbin. Re-registered 26.4.63 to Kevin J Reidy & G J Paget, Palm Beach North, Queensland. Re-registered 9.9.65 to G J Paget, Burleigh Heads, Queensland.

Re-registered 20.5.70 to Edwin W Brown, Burleigh Heads, Queensland. Registration cancelled. Re-registered 28.5.80 to same owner. Re-registered 19.4.85 to R J Cooper, Airlie Beach, Queensland (aircraft based at Whitsunday, Queensland). Re-registered 3.10.86 to Brian C Holm, Airlie Beach, Queensland (aircraft based at Caboolture, Queensland, painted in RAAF colours as A17-239 (by 1989)).

Substantially damaged 5.11.89 in a landing accident at Monduran Station, Monduran, Bundaberg Region, Queensland. According to the summary from the ATSB report into the accident:

"The pilot had landed and was taxiing into the parking area on a slight down slope. He became aware that he had misjudged his distance from a fence post and applied a burst of power in an attempt to turn the aircraft and avoid the post. The lower right wing struck the post, causing the main spar to break. This accident was not the subject of a formal on-scene investigation.

Significant Factors:
The following factors were considered relevant to the development of the accident
1. The pilot misjudged the horizontal clearance from an obstacle.
2. The pilot took avoidance action too late to prevent a collision with the obstacle".

Re-registered 3.8.2007 to Ms Myra Cusack, Margate, Queensland. Re-registered 21.6.2010 to Nicholas Randle Elliott Maylor, Montville, Queensland; operated by Carpenter Air (Pty) Ltd, Caboolture. Currently registered.

1. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a17a.htm
2. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pAus2.html
4. https://www.regosearch.com/aircraft/au/RTA
5. ATSB Summary of the accident: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1989/aair/aair198903819/
6. ATSB Full Report: https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/27808/aair198903819.pdf
7. https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=7737
8. Tiger Moth VH-RTA (as A17-239) at Caboolture, Queensland (YCAB) 27.7.2019: https://www.airhistory.net/photo/153805/VH-RTA/A17-239
9. Carpenter Air (Pty) Ltd Tiger Moth A17-239 'Contessa' VH-RTA at Caboolture in March 2021: https://my.pinkfroot.com/photo/20180422-carpenter-air-pty-ltd-dh-82-tiger-moth-a17-239-contessa
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monduran,_Queensland

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

24 June 1986

VH-RTA

R J Cooper

0

Whitsunday Airport, Shute Harbour, QLD

sub

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-Dec-2018 23:24	Pineapple	Added
18-Jan-2022 21:04	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
10-Jun-2022 04:07	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]