Date:	Friday 30 June 1944
Time:	15:45 LT
Type:	de Havilland DH.84 Dragon
Owner/operator:	Air Travel (NZ) Limited
Registration:	ZK-AHT
MSN:	6090
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 7
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Mount Hope, Nelson -   New Zealand
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Nelson Airport, New Zealand (NSN/MZNS)
Destination airport:	Southside Airfield, Hokitika
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
c/no 6090 (Gipsy Major #5693/5760): C of A 4664 issued 22.1.35 to East Coast Airways Ltd, New Zealand. First flight in NZ 25.3.35. Damaged on test flight Hobsonville 1.4.35 when struck fence and ditch on take-off; repaired on site. Registered ZK-ADR (C of R 29/CofA 142) 15.4.35 to East Coast Airways Ltd, Gisborne; named "Huia". Re-registered ZK-AER 30.12.37 to same owner, when it was realised that "ADR" was a prohibited registration. Re-registered [C of R 129] 7.7.38 (or 28.6.38) to Union Airways of NZ Ltd, Wellington.

Impressed into RNZAF as NZ551 25.10.39 at a purchase prices of £26,000. To Electrical & Wireless Flight, RNZAF Wigram 1.40. To Rongotai Communications Flight 1942. Damaged in accident at RNZAF Rongotai 1943; rebuilt by De Havilland. Re-registered ZK-AHT 24.3.44 to Air Travel (NZ) Ltd, Hokitika and delivered same day

Crashed near Kawatiri Junction, on the slopes of Mount Hope, Nelson on 30.6.44, killing airline founder Bert Mercer who was a passenger. The aircraft was flying low over the Hope Saddle and the pilot lost control in a violent up-draught. The aircraft stalled and dived into the forest below, splitting open the fuselage when it hit. Apart from Mercer, one other passenger - Mr Maurice Dawe - died and the remaining 5 on board were all injured. The aircraft crashed in the ear;y afternoon, and was reported "missing/overdue" at 15:45

The pilot Flight Lieutenant Colin Lewis and passengers Ellen Paterson, Eva Russell and George Stratmore stayed with the wreckage, while the most able passenger Bruce Perry walked out of the bush and raised the alarm.

One piece was recovered from the wreckage - the pilot's seat. Found in the Murchison Museum was this seat from the wreckage of the DH84 Dragon ZK-AHT which crashed on Mount Hope on 30-06-1944 with the loss of two passengers and injuries to three others.

The placard reads:-

"Seat cut out of the Air Travel (NZ) Ltd's Dragon aircraft ZK-AHT which crashed on the slopes of Mount Hope on June 30th, 1944. Captain Bert Mercer and Mr Maurice Dawe died in the crash.

On December 16th 1994 a plaque and cairn were unveiled at Kawatiri, which remembered those who lost their lives, and also marked the 60th anniversary of the first scheduled air service in the country."

The plaque was dedicated to the crash 50 years later, and is erected at a picnic area lay-by near Kawatiri Junction - the intersection of state highways 6 and 63.

Mount Hope (1244 metres) is located in the Hope Range, northwest of Kawatiri Junction in the Nelson area. Today this Range forms part of Kahurangi National Park.

1. Civil Air Accident File 27/4/87, Archives New Zealand
2. King, John (1995). Aviation Accidents and Disasters. New Zealand Tragedies. Wellington: Grantham House. pp. 160-161. ISBN 1 86934 042 6.
3. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/nz-serials/nzdh84.htm
4. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh84-dragon-ii-mt-hope-2-killed
5. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH84.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p060.html
7. https://rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/11525/84-dragon-zk-aht
8. https://nzcivair.blogspot.com/2011/02/aviation-aritfact.html
9. https://www.airhistory.net/photo/430543/NZ551 [as NZ551 at Wigram in 1940]
10. https://www.flickr.com/photos/philbraithwaitenz/47969468461/ [memorial plaque]
11. https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/how-the-west-was-won/
12. http://www.flydw.org.uk/DWZKAAH.htm
13. https://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap/nz36885/Mount-Hope

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
07-Nov-2008 10:14	angels one five	Updated
30-May-2009 00:56	XLerate	Updated
27-Jan-2014 07:09	angels one five	Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative]
08-Aug-2020 03:49	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
22-Jan-2022 09:05	Ron Averes	Updated [Aircraft type]
24-Jan-2022 05:39	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
25-Jan-2022 07:19	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
02-Feb-2022 03:12	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
31-Oct-2022 14:20	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
31-Oct-2022 14:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
14-Nov-2023 03:32	Ron Averes	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative]
20-Nov-2023 11:33	Ron Averes	Updated [Aircraft type, Source, Narrative]