Date:	Sunday 4 May 1930
Time:	afternoon
Type:	de Havilland DH.60M Moth
Owner/operator:	Richard B Pearson
Registration:	VH-UKC
MSN:	711
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Miowera, near Nyngan, NSW -   Australia
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Miowera, near Nyngan, NSW
Destination airport:	Quantambone station, NSW

Narrative:
DH.60M Moth VH-UKC: Crashed at Miowera, near Nyngan, NSW 4.5.30. Believed to be due to an engine failure during the initial climb after take-off. Of the two on board, one (the passenger) was killed, and the pilot/owner was severely injured (foot amputated) As reported in a contemporary newspaper (The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney NSW) Tuesday 6 May 1930 Page 12 - see link #1)

"THE 'PLANE TRAGEDY.
The Late Mr. G. S. Meares.
Mr. George S Meares, 25, who was killed on Sunday afternoon when a Gipsy Moth aeroplane crashed from a height of about 500 feet at Miowera, near Nyngan, was a son of Dr Meares, of Melbourne, who was formerly owner of Quantambone station.

Mr. Richard Pearson, age 26, the pilot of the aeroplane, which he purchased recently, was the winner of the amateur pilot's handicap at the recent Narromine air pageant, and showed himself to be a pilot well above the
average

The two men landed at Miowera about 11 o'clock on Sunday morning After lunch they took-off, intending to return to Quantambone station. Mr Pearson was attempting to bank at a height of 500 feet when the engine suddenly stalled and the machine dived, striking the ground with a terrific crash. The engine was partly buried in the earth, the wings and propellor were shattered, and the fuselage was wrecked.

Eye-witnesses of the tragedy speedily hurried to the scene, and found Mr Pearson lying alongside the 'plane, with both his legs fractured Mr Meares was found crushed in the front part of the 'plane. While coming down the 'plane crashed through a wilga tree, and just missed a large box tree. Mr Pearson was operated on at the district hospital, where his foot was amputated, and is now progressing favourably.

The body of Mr. Meares Is being taken to Melbourne, via Sydney, for burial"

Registration VH-UKC cancelled 8.5.30. Sold to Aero Club of NSW, Mascot for rebuild but not proceeded with and used for spares.

However, the aircraft was "revived" and rebuilt from May 1993 to April 2017 and now "lives again" as an airworthy airframe (see below)

1. The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW) Tuesday 6 May 1930 Page 12 THE 'PLANE TRAGEDY: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/16671404
2. The Sun (Sydney, NSW) Monday 5 May 1930 Page 11 DEATH SPIN: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/224260906
3. Narromine News and Trangie Advocate (Narrowmine NSW) Friday 9 May 1930 Page 9 PLANE CRASHES: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/99228031
4. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/dh60.pdf
5. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p007.html
6. https://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/page-australian-register/vh-ua-um?highlight=WyJ2aC11a2MiXQ==
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_VH-U.html
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p007.html
9. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/archive/Archive_1980.pdf
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyngan

c/no. 711 DH.60M Moth [Gipsy I #303] to DeHavilland Australia with C of A 1877 issued 21.3.29 (although possibly earmarked for USA). Registered VH-UKC [C of R 286] 9.5.29 to The De Havilland Aircraft (Pty) Ltd, Melbourne. Sold 17.4.30 [but not re-registered] to Richard B Pearson, Brewarrina, NSW. Destroyed 4.5.30 as per the above

However, the aircraft was "revived" from May 1993 and now "lives again" as an airworthy airframe:
Fuselage found May 1993 in store in W Kuhl\’s workshop and sold to David Clarke & Charles Edmonds t/a Gipsy Air, Churnside Park, Victoria, Australia, for rebuild. Project sold November 2005 to Kjeller Flyhistoriske Forening [KFF - Kjeller Historical Aviation Society]; delivered to Oslo, Norway 24.1.2006. Norwegian registration LN-KFM reserved 24.5.2006. Build permit #300 issued 16.7.2009 to P O Skarphol, Kjeller, Oslo, Norway. Registered 9.3.2017 to Kjeller Flyhistoriske Forening; first re-flown after rebuild 18.4.2017.

Moth VH-UKC was rebuilt between November 2005 and April 2017 and registered in Norway as LN-KFM, although it now wears "period" Norwegian air force markings as '125'. Seen at Kjeller, Norway 18 June 2017

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-Mar-2024 11:11	Dr. John Smith	Added