ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 348015
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| Date: | Saturday 18 October 1941 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  de Havilland DH.60X Moth |
| Owner/operator: | Rotorua & Bay of Plenty Aero Club |
| Registration: | ZK-ADW |
| MSN: | 9 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Whakarewarewa Road, near Rotorua Aerodrome, Rotorua, Bay of Plenty -
 New Zealand
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Rotorua Aerodrome, Rotorua, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
c/no. 9: DH.60X [Cirrus Hermes] Moth built by Genairco, Mascot, Sydney. Registered as VH-UMK [C of R 340] 19.11.29 to GE Marni-Kerry, Mascot [note personal registration 'MK'].
Shipped to New Zealand 31.8.34. Registration cancelled 5.11.34. Crashed at Maraetai 25.11.34. Repaired and registered as ZK-ADW 30.3.35 to GE Marni-Kerry, Auckland. Sold 10.10.35 and re-registered [C of R 38] 23.10.35 to FB Cadman, Auckland [based Mangere]. Withdrawn from use prior to WWII (3.9.39) and sold 12.4.40 to Messrs Butler & Carroll, Hamilton on behalf of Rotorua & Bay of Plenty Aero Club. Rebuilt.
Badly damaged when forced landed Whakarewarewa Road, near Rotorua Aerodrome, Rotorua, Bay of Plenty 18.10.41; not repaired. Forced landing adjacent to Aerodrome, pilot had accidentally turned off the fuel supply. According to a contemporary local newspaper report (Rotorua Morning Post 20 October 1941, p 4 - see link #1)
"FORCED LANDING
CLUB PLANE DAMAGED
ROTORUA, October 19.
A Moth aeroplane belonging to the Rotorua and Bay of Plenty Aero Club made a forced landing near a vacant section opposite the Rotorua aerodrome yesterday afternoon after the engine had cut out through the petrol supply, having inadvertently been turned off. The pilot, Mr. H. Boucher, escaped injury, and the passenger, Mr. E. Law, of Cambridge, received only cuts on the forehead and shock. The undercarriage of the machine was wrenched off and superficial damage was caused to the wings.
Mr. Boucher's skilful handling of the machine prevented a more serious mishap. It is assumed that when the petrol tap was checked it was turned from the, "on" position to the "off," with the result that when the reserve supply was exhausted the engine stopped. Faced by a forced landing from a low altitude, Mr. Boucher headed the aeroplane for a vacant section across the Whakarewarewa Road. The machine just failed to reach the section, the undercarriage striking a low bank on the roadside.
The official history of Rotorua Airport (see link #8) confirms this
"Also, in 1941 a Moth bi-plane belonging to the Aero club had to make a forced landing on a vacant plot across the road from the Aerodrome as the engine cut out. The pilot Mr. H. Boucher was unharmed and passenger Mr. E. Shaw received minor injuries, however the “plane’s undercarriage was wrenched off, and would be out of commission for some time” (Rotorua Morning Post, 1941)
Extensively damaged, the aircraft was not rebuilt, and was finally written off in Feb 1947. Identity used for rebuild project of c/no 1399, which was re-flown after rebuild 25.4.2015 as "VH-UMK". It is not clear how much of this rebuilt aircraft consists of any parts of the original (if any)
Sources:
1. Rotorua Morning Post 20 October 1941, p 4: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19411020.2.80
2. AHSNZ, 1988, Journal, Vol 31 No 2.
3. https://rotoruadistrictlibrary.blogspot.com/2019/10/plane-events-in-rotorua-in-octobers-past.html
4. https://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/page-new-zealand-register/gn-z-zk?highlight=WyJ6ay1hZHciXQ==
5. https://ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/dh60.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_ZK-.html
7. http://www.flydw.org.uk/DWZKAAH.htm
8. https://www.rotorua-airport.co.nz/blog/post/68971/rotorua-aerodrome-1920s-to-1970s/
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Nov-2023 15:57 | Ron Averes | Added |
| 24-Nov-2023 16:01 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 04-Dec-2023 14:41 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
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