Date:	Tuesday 20 June 1944
Time:	12:15
Type:	De Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	1 EFTS RNZAF
Registration:	NZ1442
MSN:	DHNZ122
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Sea off Brighton Beach, Otago -   New Zealand
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RNZAF Taeri
Destination airport:

Narrative:
de Havilland DH82a Tiger Moth MSN DHNZ.122 Built at Rongotai by DeHavilland New Zealand. BOC Unit 18 Rongotai 18 September 1942 as NZ1442. With No.2 EFTS, Ashburton 1943. With No.1 EFTS, Taieri 1944.

Written off (destroyed) when crashed into sea one mile off Brighton Beach, Dunedin at 12:15 hrs on 20 June 1944 after failing to recover from a spin while being operated by No.1 EFTS. Both crew posted as missing presumed killed

According to a contemporary local newspaper report ("Evening Post", Volume CXXXVII, Issue 145, 21 June 1944, Page 4):

"20 June 1944 - An aircraft from a South Island air station crashed into the sea, and the occupants, two members of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, who were on a training flight, are believed to have lost their lives. They were:

Flying Officer Leslie Darcy [Leslie D'Arcy] IRWIN, 26 years (father, Mr. James Irwin, Paeroa).
Corporal Murray Alexander GILLON, 23 years (wife, Mrs G Gillon, Duke's Road, Mosgiel, Dunedin"

Crew of Tiger Moth NZ1442
Cpl (NZ4312262) Murray Alexander GILLON (Pupil Pilot u/t) RNZAF - killed in service 20.6.44
F/O (NZ429176) Leslie Darcy IRWIN (Instructor Pilot) RNZAF - killed in service 20.6.44

The bodies of both crew members were recovered for burial. Tiger Moth NZ1442 was written off the books at RNZAF Taieri on 12 July 1944.

1. For Your Tomorrow, Errol Martyn, Volume 2, Page 241
2. Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 145, 21 June 1944, Page 4
3. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/nz-serials/nzdh82.htm
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pNZ1.html
5. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
6. https://steemkr.com/history/@len.george/de-havilland-tiger-moth-dh-82a-nz-1421-to-nz-1465-1939-to-1956-part-6
7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2807924/MURRAY%20ALEXANDER%20GILLON/
8. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2964871/LESLIE%20DARCY%20IRWIN/
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brighton,_New_Zealand
11. https://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/murray-alexander-gillon
12. https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C24534
13. https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C18925?n=nz429176&ordinal=0&from=%2Fwar-memorial%2Fonline-cenotaph%2Fsearch&lang=en-nz
14. https://www.sooty.nz/miscairdeaths.html
15. Gisborne Herlad, Vol LXXI, Issue 21436, 21 June 1944, PAGE 2: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GISH19440621.2.14?items_per_page=100&query=irwin+Gillon&snippet=true&start_date=20-0

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-Jun-2009 01:27	angels one five	Added
01-Oct-2009 11:45	angels one five	Updated
21-Jan-2012 06:34	Nepa	Updated [Time, Operator, Narrative]
08-Jul-2013 10:08	angels one five	Updated [Registration, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
30-Oct-2013 08:43	angels one five	Updated [Time, Aircraft type]
15-Nov-2018 10:27	Nepa	Updated [Time, Operator, Operator]
18-Jun-2019 10:39	TigerTimon	Updated [Time]
23-Aug-2021 00:58	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
23-Aug-2021 01:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
23-Aug-2021 09:00	BlBe	Updated [Time, Operator, Narrative, Operator]
23-Aug-2021 19:48	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
22-Sep-2021 01:45	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
26-Jan-2022 04:20	Ron Averes	Updated [Aircraft type, Cn]
11-Feb-2022 20:01	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
14-Feb-2022 03:37	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]