ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 41219
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| Date: | Tuesday 20 March 1990 |
| Time: | 13:15 |
| Type: |  de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth |
| Owner/operator: | Herbert W Sutton |
| Registration: | N353FG |
| MSN: | 85586 |
| Engine model: | de Havilland GYPSY MAJOR |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Firefly Ranch Airfield, White City, Oregon -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Rogue Valley International–Medford Airport (MFR/KMFR) |
| Firefly Ranch Airfield, White City, Oregon (FAA LID: OG25) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 85586; Taken on charge by the RAF as DE632 at 38 MU RAF Llandow, Glamorgan 15.4.42. To 652 Squadron, RAF Bottisham, Cambridgeshire 8.7.42; moved with squadron to RAF Westley, Suffolk 11.8.42. To 33 MU RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire 2.12.42. To 25 (P)EFTS RAF Hucknall, Nottinghamshire 6.4.43. Crashed 23.4.43 (presumed at RAF Hucknall); to Taylorcraft at Rearsby, Leicestershire 3.5.43 for repairs. Upon completion of repairs, to 33 MU RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire 3.7.43. To 21 EFTS RAF Booker, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire 3.8.43. To 33 MU RAF Lyneham, Wiltshire 10.9.46 for long-term storage pending disposal.
Struck off charge when sold 3.9.53 to Transair Ltd. UK civil registered as G-AOGP (C of R R5256/1) on 20.1.56 to Hants & Sussex Aviation Ltd, Portsmouth Airport, Portsmouth, Hampshire. C of A not known but test flown 12.3.56. Registration G-AOGP cancelled 12.3.56 as 'sold to Malaya' (via W S Shackleton Ltd, Piccadilly, London, W.1).
Re-registered in Malaya as VR-RBQ 4.7.56 to Perak Flying Club, Ipoh [assembled & flown 18.7.56]. Re-registered as 9M-ALH 13.3.59 [with effect from 1.1.59] to same owner. Damaged in heavy landing at Sitiawan Airfield 8.3.60; ferried to Ipoh & repaired/reflown after repairs 28.3.61. Struck obstruction on landing at Penang Airport & nosed over 23.9.62. Transported by road to Ipoh for repairs; reflown after repairs 21.10.62. Last flight 29.9.63 & registration cancelled 15.10.63 as WFU (Withdrawn From Use). Registration 9M-ALH cancelled 26.10.66.
Sold 6.71 to Leo Gay, Glendale, California, USA for rebuild (bill of sale dated 14.3.72 from Leonard W Smith). Registered in the USA as N353FG on 2.4.75 to Lionel O Gay, Glendale, California (aircraft based at Santa Paula); reflown Whiteman Air Park, Pacoima, California 21.5.75. C of A issued 22.5.75. Sold 16.10.77 and re-registered 4.11.77 to Simon Productions Inc #4 (Mel Simon), Los Angeles, California [aircraft based at Santa Paula]
Reportedly used in movie "The Stuntman" (1980) which starred Peter O'Toole; The American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) declined approval to allow director Richard Rush's production filming of the Tiger Moth near the Hotel del Coronado shooting location. According to Paul Tatara, "Eventually, Rush secured the right to land the plane at a nearby Naval base, then Chuck Bail, who volunteered to fly the antique aircraft, 'developed radio trouble' and lost contact with the closest control tower, at which point the plane mysteriously began to 'stall' directly over the hotel. Bail then performed a handful of diving runs and machine gun passes while Rush filmed him with five strategically located cameras". The film was shot in late 1977 with post-production conducted in 1979. The picture had trouble getting distributed until 20th Century Fox picked it up and released it in 1980. Star Peter O'Toole, commenting on the fact that the film took four years from filming to cinema release, stated "the film wasn't released...it escaped!"
Sold 25.4.78 and re-registered 18.7.78 to Donald R Young & Gayle N Young, Santa Barbara, California [based at Camarillo, California]. Sold 24.1.79 and re-registered 5.2.79 to Harold L & Connie L Eisemann, Chiloquin, Oregon. Sold 7.9.79 and re-registered 15.11.79 to Lester D Friend Junior, San Diego, California. Sold 8.6.81 and re-registerd 18.8.81 to C Luke O’Reilly, Los Angeles, California [aircraft based Whiteman Airpark]; painted as "DE-745"; (which was a USAAC Tiger Moth based in UK). Withdrawn From Use after last flight 22.7.82.
Sold 10.86 (but not re-registered) to Marcian A Herman, Montrose, California [aircraft based at Pacioma]; reflown 1.5.87. Last flights ferried 21-28.12.89 from Pacioma, California to Medford, Oregon. Sold (by C Luke O’Reilly) undated [but not later than 31.12.89] (but not re-registered) to Southern Oregon Skyways Inc, Medford, Oregon. Sold (undated) and re-registered 9.1.90 to Herbert W Sutton, Central Point, Oregon
Substantially damaged in an accident, when crashed on approach to Firefly Ranch Airfield, White City, Oregon. According to the NTSB report into the incident:
"There was one fatality and was one minor injury. The accident occurred at White City, OR, United States while on appoach. The damage was substantial. The pilot entered a high traffic pattern for landing and reduced the throttle to minimum power setting. He slowly increased the throttle to correct for an under shoot angle of descent on short final approach and the engine did not instantly respond.
CAUSE: PILOT'S DELAY IN TAKING REMEDIAL ACTION TO PREVENT AN UNDERSHOOT. HIS MISJUDGEMENT OF DISTANCE AND ALTITUDE ON FINAL APPROACH WERE RELATED FACTORS".
Sold 22.5.92 and re-registered 14.9.92 to John W Ruell, Pahrump, Nevada. Sold 18.11.95 and re-registered 23.4.98 to Harry Schoning, Palm Desert, California (to Driggs, Idaho by 7.2010). Stored [2004] pending sale; rebuild commenced 5.2005 for John Burson but then put on hold; for sale [2012]. Registration N353FG cancelled 4.10.2012 following triennial expiry on 30.6.11. Logbooks etc to Ian Grace & transferred [4.2021] to Port Townsend Aero Museum - an aviation museum located at Jefferson County International Airport in Port Townsend, Washington.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft DA100-DZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1987 p.17)
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AOGP.pdf
3. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p855.html
5. NTSB Accident Number: SEA90LA054: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/ReportGeneratorFile.ashx?EventID=20001212X22819&AKey=1&RType=Final&IType=LA
6. FAA Registration: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N353FG
7. https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=23977
8. http://www.aviationdb.com/Aviation/Aircraft/3/N353FG.shtm
9. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081568/trivia/?ref_=tt_trv_trv
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogue_Valley_International%E2%80%93Medford_Airport
11. https://www.airnav.com/airport/OG25
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port_Townsend_Aero_Museum#Aircraft_on_display
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 18-Jan-2022 22:03 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 20-Jan-2022 17:42 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
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