Date:	Monday 26 December 1932
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.60 Moth
Owner/operator:	Guinea Airways Ltd
Registration:	VH-UMJ
MSN:	1372
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Wau Creek, Morobe Province -   Papua New Guinea
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi
Departure airport:	Wau Creek, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea (WUG/AYWU)
Destination airport:

Narrative:
c/no 1372: DH.60M [Gipsy I] to DeHavilland Australia with C of A 2110 issued 12.7.29. Registered as VH-UMJ [C of R 330] 25.9.29 to Guinea Airways Ltd, Wau, Papua New Guinea.

Written off (destroyed) 26.12.32: Shortly after takeoff the engine failed at approximately 50 feet (15 m) and the pilot, despite a turning manoeuvre to avoid trees, lost control with the machine's tail brushing a tree and plunging abruptly to the ground. The aircraft burst into flames. Both person on board - pilot Frank Nelson Drayton (29) and passenger Lewis H. Harper - were killed

According to a contemporary newspaper report ("The Sydney Morning Herald" (Sydney, NSW) Thursday 29 December 1932 Page 7 - see link #1):

" 'PLANE CRASHES IN NEW GUINEA.
PILOT AND PASSENGER KILLED.
MELBOURNE, Wednesday.
When a Moth 'plane belonging to Guinea Airways, Ltd., failed to take off from Wau aerodrome, New Guinea, on Sunday, it crashed to the ground, and the pilot, Mr. Frank Nelson Drayton, and Mr. L. H. Harper, believed to be an American surveyor, were killed instantly.

A brief message conveying news of the tragedy was received to-day by the Secretary for Defence (Mr. M. L. Shepherd). Apparently, the machine was only about 50ft in the air when the engine failed, and the pilot was not able to prevent it striking a tree with terrific force.

The tragedy was witnessed by attendants on the ground and by Mr. Drayton's wife and child"

Registration VH-UMJ cancelled 31.3.1933 as "destroyed'

1. "The Sydney Morning Herald" (Sydney, NSW) Thursday 29 December 1932 Page 7: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16941493
2. Mount Barker and Denmark Record (Albany, WA) Thursday 29 December 1932 Page 1: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/240322339
3. Townsville Daily Bulletin (Townsville, Qld.) Thursday 29 December 1932 Page 4: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/61695290
4. Cairns Post (Cairns, Qld.) Thursday 29 December 1932 Page 7: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/41199356
5. http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/dh60.pdf
6. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh60m-moth-wau-2-killed
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_VH-U.html
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p013.html
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wau,_Papua_New_Guinea

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
08-Nov-2010 15:34	TB	Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Damage, Narrative]
08-Feb-2014 03:43	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
01-May-2015 06:20	DarylCostin	Updated [Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
20-Oct-2016 15:19	TB	Updated [Operator, Location, Source, Narrative]
26-Aug-2017 16:24	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
30-May-2020 19:21	Sergey L.	Updated [Source]
22-Nov-2023 08:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category]