Date:	Saturday 16 May 1936
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.60G Moth
Owner/operator:	Holyman's Airways Pty Ltd
Registration:	VH-UII
MSN:	895
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	East Oakleigh, Mount Waverley, VIC -   Australia
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Essendon, Melbourne (MEB/YMEN)
Destination airport:	Essendon, Melbourne (MEB/YMEN)

Narrative:
VH-UII was a DH.60G Gipsy Moth built up by W T Johnson, Eastwood for Sydney Cheesewright, Petersham, Sydney, NSW from remains of various airframes [most parts, including engine, were taken from the wreckage of G-AUIS c/no 895]. First flown at Mascot, NSW 4.7.31. Registered 27.7.31 as VH-UII to Sydney H Cheesewright, Sydney; fitted with Gipsy I. Registration cancelled in August 1932 as "withdrawn from use".

Badly damaged in forced landing following engine failure at 1,500 ft over Newington College, Henson Park, Marrickville, NSW 12.3.33 on flight from Mascot to Sydney Harbour Bridge (uninsured/unofficial "illegal" flight). Rebuilt Sept 1933 by W T Johnson. Registration restored Oct 1933 to same owner.

Re-registered 21.10.33 to Owen F Y Thomas, Hillston, NSW. Re-registered 17.8.34 to The Victorian Flying School & Taxi Services Pty Ltd, Essendon, Melbourne. An "unlucky" airframe, dogged by mishaps, VH-UII struck the top of another aircraft whilst landing at Essendon on 2.2.36, (pilot H. Bonf) with minor damage. After repairs, sold on and re-registered 8.5.36 to Holyman's Airways Pty Ltd, Melbourne.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) when it crashed into a house after hitting telephone wires and a chimney, caught fire and was damaged beyond repair at East Oakleigh, Mount Waverley, Victoria 16.5.36; trainee pilot, Norman Keith Field killed.

According to a contemporary local newspaper ("The Daily News (Perth, WA) Saturday 16 May 1936 Page 1):

"BURNED TO DEATH IN CRASHED PLANE
Parents Witness Tragedy
MELBOURNE, Saturday.
Moment after flying- low over his parents' home at South Waverley late today, on his first solo flight since obtaining his 'A' Class licence, Norman Keith Field (20) a member of the Victorian Aero Club, crashed in a Moth plane in a neighboring garden and was incinerated in blazing wreckage.

The youth's mother and father Mr. Sid. Field, market gardener, who witnessed their son's fatal crash, made a desperate attempt to pull him from the plane, but were driven back by the heat. Neighbours brought a long market gardeners' hose to play on the blazing fabric, but in a few seconds the entire plane was consumed Field's body was found doubled up in the wreckage, one arm flung across his face.

Mrs. Field, who refused to leave the wreckage until her son's body had been removed by an ambulance crew, remained amazingly calm, and was able to describe the crash:

'He had arranged to fly low enough over our place to wave to us as he passed on his first flight,' she said, 'Just before he passed over the home of our neighbor, Jim Norn's, some part of the plane seemed to catch on our telephone wires. He had just waved to us.

STRUCK CHIMNEY
'Next second the plane struck a brick chimney on the top of the Norris's house. Then it continued on a lew more yards, and dived down into the garden of Humphrey Buckland. 'I ran over straight away, but the plane was already in flames. I ran to it, but was beaten back, I almost touched his head and shoulders, and had I been able to set a grip I might have saved him.'

Field turned 20 last' month".

Registration cancelled 16.5.36 as "destroyed"

Mount Waverley is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 16 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Monash local government area. It is 16 km from Melbourne at its closest point

1. The Daily News (Perth, WA) Saturday 16 May 1936 Page 1: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/85711209
2. Advocate (Burnie, Tasmania) Tue 19 May 1936 Page 7: Fatal 'Plane Crash of Norman Field at Parents' Home in South Waverley: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/91800553 [photo showing trajectory of crash]
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_VH-U.html
4. http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/aeroplanes/15-aeroplanes/84-register-australia
5. http://planecrashinfo.com/1936/1936-16.htm
6. http://www.ab-ix.co.uk/dh60.pdf
7. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh60g-moth-mount-waverley-1-killed
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p008.html
9. As G-AUIS: https://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/page-australian-register/g-au?highlight=WyJnLWF1aXMiXQ==
10. As VH-UII: https://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/page-australian-register/vh-ua-um?highlight=WyJnLWF1aXMiXQ==
11. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austu/VH-UII.html
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Waverley,_Victoria

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

27 December 1929

G-AUIS

Guy L Menzies

0

Urunga Golf Course, Urunga, Coffs Harbour, NSW

w/o

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
23-Jan-2014 03:07	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative]
23-Jan-2014 03:08	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
23-Aug-2017 12:02	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Destination airport, Source]
06-Jan-2021 09:13	Sergey L.	Updated [Source]
09-Jun-2022 20:22	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
22-Oct-2023 19:15	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Location]]