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Date: | Friday 13 January 1956 |
Time: | afternoon |
Type: | Auster J/1B Aiglet |
Owner/operator: | Wellington Aero Club |
Registration: | ZK-AXM |
MSN: | 2676 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | Pirinoa, Wairarapa -
New Zealand
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Private |
Departure airport: | Rongotai, Wellington |
Destination airport: | Rongotai, Wellington |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:ZK-AXM left Rongotai aerodrome on an intended 45-minute scenic flight over the Hutt Valley and the southern Wairarapa. It carried a pilot and two passengers.
At Pirinoa the engine noise was heard to cease and the Auster descended to about 1,200 feet. The power was then reapplied and the Auster levelled out.
Moments later the wings were seen to flap and the plane dived into the ground.
All on board were killed by the impact.
Examination of the wreckage showed that the tail trimming upper Bowden cable had broken in flight, causing the Auster to become inverted with the resulting negative loading causing fractured and bowed wing bracing struts. This in turn caused wing oscillations and the failure of both main spars.
Sources:
Auster aircraft production (
http://www.auster.ukf.net/ )
Article in NZ Aviation News, September 2011
http://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewEntity.do?code=7333 Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
17-May-2008 11:10 |
ASN archive |
Added |
02-Sep-2011 19:17 |
angels one five |
Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
07-Oct-2013 05:30 |
angels one five |
Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
30-Jan-2014 20:08 |
TB |
Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative] |
21-May-2018 06:13 |
Ron Averes |
Updated [Location] |
23-Sep-2021 21:34 |
Ron Averes |
Updated [Location] |