Date:	Friday 23 January 1976
Time:	19:15 LT
Type:	De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	V.R. McFadyen
Registration:	VH-BJD
MSN:	DHA1034
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	Swan Hill Airport, Swan Hill, VIC -   Australia
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	Swan Hill Airport, Swan Hill, Victoria (SWH/YSWH)
Destination airport:	Swan Hill Airport, Swan Hill, Victoria (SWH/YSWH)
Investigating agency:	BASI
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
De Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN DHA.1034; Taken on charge by the RAF as A17-599 at 2 Aircraft Depot, Richmond 5.8.42. To 1 AOS Cootamundra 10.8.42. To 4 Communications Flight, Archerfield 11.10.42 for use in inspection of landing fields; unit renamed 4 CU 29.10.43. To Care & Maintenance Unit Tamworth 25.2.46; for sale 11.7.47.

Struck of charge when sold 24.9.47 for £90 to Northern Territory Aero Club, Darwin; issued 9.12.47. Australian civil registered as VH-BJD (C of R 1481) 9.2.48 to Benjamin D Hingston, Darwin, NT. Damaged when overturned in forced landing Katherine, NT 18.3.50; repaired and returned to service. Re-registered 6.11.51 to the Salvation Army (Victoria) Property Trust, Melbourne. According to the Salvation Army website on this subject of this aircraft (see link #4 under "1949-1955"):

"In March 1949, VH-BJD a Tiger Moth was borrowed from Mr B Hingston and used to visit stations in the Victoria River District, an agreement was made that payment of £1 an hour flying time would be made. The aircraft was for sale at £400 and there was £80 owing for use of the aircraft; this amount was used as the deposit with VH-BJD being purchased by The Salvation Army".

Badly damaged when overturned in a forced landing on the north side of Katherine River in late 1952; "Almost a year later returning to Darwin and just north of Katherine, the engine started misfiring. A tight turn was made toward Katherine and not long after a forced landing was made on the north side of Katherine River. The cause of the misfiring was a jammed exhaust valve. VH-BJD was returned to Darwin on the back of a semi-trailer, where repairs were made to the wings, and the engine received an overhaul. In July 1955 VH-BJD was traded in for a new Auster Autocar aircraft, VH-BYS".

Re-registered 16.8.55 to Schutt Aircraft Pty Ltd, Moorabbin, Melbourne, Victoria. Re-registered 22.6.56 to Schutt Airfarmers Pty Ltd, Moorabbin. Registrtion VH-BJD cancelled 4.9.58. Re-registered 16.7.59 to same owner. Re-registered 19.9.60 to John W Considine, Aspendale, Victoria. Re-registered 1.7.61 to Sunraysia Air Farmers (Pty) Ltd, Mildura, Victoria. Registration cancelled 11.10.62 as WFU ("Withdrawn From Use"). Registration restored 14.12.72 to V R McFadyen, Swan Hill, Victoria.

Written off (destroyed) when crashed at Swan Hill, Victoria 23.1.76; of the two persons on board, 1 was killed, and one survived. According to the following excerpt from the Official ATSB Report into the accident:

"Mr. Borrman held Departmental approval to conduct conversion training and testing of private and higher category pilots for DH82 and Cessna type aircraft. Mr. Acfield arranged to undergo DH82 conversion training with Mr. Borrman and the first period of this training was a flight of about one hour in VH-BJD at Swan Hill on 8 January, 1976.

The next period was from about 17:20 hours to 18:50 hours on the day of the accident and it included acrobatics, steep turns, take-offs, circuits and three point touch and go landings. The wind was light and variable and the take-offs and landings were made alternately on the grassed strips bearing 040°and 146°

Some of the circuits were of a non-standard pattern with a circuit height of only about 500 feet. At Conclusion of this period, the two pilots discussed three point and 'wheeler' type landings which were intended to be practised during the next period. Mr. Acfield was briefed to take-off initially from the strip bearing 220°and to then make a dumb-bell type turn to position the aircraft on approach for the 040 strip. Mr. Borrman would then demonstrate the first 'wheeler' approach and landing.

With Mr. Borrman in the front cockpit and Mr. Acfield in the rear cockpit controlling the aircraft, take-off was made from the 220 strip and, at a height of about 300 feet, a turn to the right was commenced. During the turn Mr. Acfield asked Mr. Borrman to confirm that he intended to demonstrate the first landing and, when he received an affirmative reply, he gained the impression that control of the aircraft had been taken over by Mr. Borrman and he released the controls.

Shortly afterwards the angle of bank increased and Mr. Acfield initially believed that the rate of turn was being increased by Mr. Borrman. However, the nose of the aircraft dropped and it spiralled towards the ground. Despite apparent attempts by each pilot to regain control, the aircraft struck the ground in a steep nose down attitude. It was subsequently established that a formal handing over/taking over routine had not often been used during the two previous periods of conversion training

Edwin Alfred BORRMAN (pilot in command) aged 50, was killed. Paul Charles ACFIELD (the trainee pilot, aged 25) survived, but with serious injuries

OPINION AS TO CAUSE
The cause of the accident was that the pilot in command did not ensure that a positive system of transfer of control of the aircraft was employed".

Registration VH-BJD cancelled 23.1.76 as "destroyed"

1. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a17b.htm
2. ATSB Summary of the incident: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1976/aair/aair197602979/
3. ATSB Full Report of the incident: https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/24450/197602979.pdf
4. https://www.salvationarmy.org.au/locations/northern-territory/our-services/the-salvation-army-flying-padre-and-outback-services/aircraft-of-the-flying-padre/
5. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austb/VH-BJD.html
6. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
7. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pAus10.html
8. http://www.adf-gallery.com.au/picture.php?/EC_2A17_599/category/dh82a-tiger-moth-a17-599
9. Tiger Moth VH-BJD at Moorabbin, Melbourne, Victoria (MBW/YMMB) in 1956: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1749564
10. Tiger Moth VH-BJD at Mildura, Victoria (MOL/YMIA) in December 1966: https://www.airhistory.net/photo/235549/VH-BJD
11. Tiger Moth VH-BJD at Swan Hill, Victoria )SWH/YSWH) in October 1975: https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1678406
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Hill_Airport

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
18-Apr-2010 23:53	zerocinquanta	Added
29-Apr-2012 19:21	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
03-Apr-2014 21:12	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
03-Apr-2014 21:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
03-Apr-2014 21:23	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
07-Jan-2022 22:30	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
10-Jun-2022 02:51	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]