Date:	Thursday 1 December 1938
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.60G Moth
Owner/operator:	Royal Queensland Aero Club
Registration:	VH-UGV
MSN:	833
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Connor Park Aerodrome, near Rockhampton, Queensland -   Australia
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Archerfield Airport, Brisbane, Queensland (YBAF)
Destination airport:	Connor Park Aerodrome, near Rockhampton, Queensland (ROK/YBRK)

Narrative:
Forced landed in storm half a mile north west of Connor Park Aerodrome, near Rockhampton, Queensland 1.12.38; aircraft landed safely, but was subsequently wrecked on ground when overturned by gale-force winds. Both crew on board survived unhurt (they were not in the aircraft when it overturned). A contemporary local newspaper (Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld) Friday 2 December 1938 Page 9 - see link #1) specifically mentions the incident as part of its report on the storms that hit Rockhampton on this date...

"GALE HAVOC IN ROCKHAMPTON
MAN KILLED IN STREET ACCIDENT
PLANE DAMAGED IN FORCED LANDING
AN elderly man was run down by a utility truck and fatally injured, an aeroplane was damaged in a forced landing, and interruption was caused to the city's electricity supply during the storm that raged over Rockhampton early last night.

PLANES DAMAGED.
The wind which preceded the storm reached hurricane force drove dense clouds of dust and grit across the city, seeping through cracks and crannies into houses, caused exciting moments at Connor Park aerodrome.

The Aero Club plane, a Gypsy Moth, piloted by J. Berry, and carrying another pupil, Leslie Phillips, as a passenger, made a splendid landing under great difficulty in a paddock about half a mile north-west of the aerodrome. The plane suffered slight damage, which included torn undercarriage and a broken wheel. The pilot was unhurt, while the passenger suffered slight injury to the hand and mouth.

After the men had left the plane, however, it is understood that a gust of wind caught the machine and hurled it on to its back, reducing it to a heap of tangled ruin.

Although it was held down by two pegs, and in spite of the fact that seven men were holding down one of its wings, the R.A.A.F. Seagull amphibian, which is temporarily stationed at Rockhampton, was torn from its moorings at the aerodrome and the port lower wing was damaged. The damage was sufficient to make it necessary for the plane to be equipped with a new wing before it can be of further use.

The Airlines of Australia DH Rapide from Brisbane was also caught by the gale on approaching to the aerodrome. The pilot was forced to open the throttle and fly on to make a safe landing at Glen Prairie, 62 miles north of Rockhampton.

Further damage at the aerodrome included the lifting of several sheets of iron from the roof of one of the hangars. As soon as the wind sprang up the doors of the main hangar were closed and damage was prevented there, but a portion of the roof of the adjoining hangar was blown off".

1. Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton, Qld.) Friday 2 December 1938 Page 9 GALE HAVOC IN ROCKHAMPTON: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/56003853
2. The Evening News (Rockhampton, Qld) Friday 2 Dec 1938 Page 1 GALE STRIKES CITY WITH DRAMATIC SUDDENNESS: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/198300119
3. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/dh60.pdf
4. As G-AUGV: https://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/page-australian-register/g-au?highlight=WyJnLWF1Z3ciXQ==
5. As VH-UGV: https://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/page-australian-register/vh-ua-um?highlight=WyJnLWF1Z3ciXQ==
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_VH-U.html
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p008.html
8. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/archive/Archive_1981.pdf
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockhampton_Airport#History

.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-Mar-2024 21:13	Dr. John Smith	Added
12-Mar-2024 21:14	ASN	Updated [Source, Narrative]
14-Mar-2024 18:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category]