Date:	Sunday 16 September 1951
Time:	day
Type:	De Havilland DH-82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	James Aviation Ltd
Registration:	ZK-AVJ
MSN:	DHA401
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	Hamilton Airport, Waikato -   New Zealand
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Agricultural
Departure airport:	Hamilton Airport, Rukuhai, New Zeland (HLZ/NZHN)
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
De Havilland DH82a Tiger Moth MSN DHA.401. Byuilt by DH Australia at Bankstown, Sydeney, NSW. Taken on charge by the RAAF as A17-366 at 2 Aircraft Depot, Richmond 17.5.41. To SHQ Canberra 25.6.41 for storage. To 1 EFTS Parafield 8.9.41; to Tamworth 29.5.44; to storage 7.10.44. Transferred to Care & Maintenance Unit 12.12.44; put up for sale 6.12.45.

Struck off charge when sold 22.2.46 for £396 to K. Virtue, Yeerongpilly, Queensland; issued 29.3.46. Registered as VH-AQN (C of R 951) on 3.5.46 to Keith A Virtue, Yeerongpilly, Queesland. Registration VH-AQN cancelled/lapsed 19.12.47. Re-registered 10.1.50 to same owner (registration restored?). Sold (but not re-registered) to Thomas J Watson, Sydney, NSW. Registration VH-AQN cancelled 13.2.51 as sold New Zealand.

Re-registered in New Zealand as ZK-AVJ on 9.8.50 to James Aviation Ltd, Hamilton. New Zealand C of A issued 19.7.51. Crashed 16.9.51 at Hamilton Airport, Rukuhai, 14km south of Hamilton, Waikato Region, North Island; Pilot Oswald James. Repaired and returned to service. Badly damaged in forced landing Te Ngai, Rotorua 28.9.55; repaired and returned to service.

Re-registered 30.4.56 to Aerial Superspread Ltd, Gisborne. Written off (damaged beyond repair) when crashed on take-off at Uruahi, Gisborne 17.9.56.

Sold to Australia for spares 28.8.57. New Zealand Registration ZK-AVJ cancelled 8.4.58. Re-registered in Australia with former registration VH-AQN restored 29.12.88 to Bruce W McGarvie, Broadbeach, Queensland (but now quoting MSN DHA.402). MSN DHA.402 was Tiger Moth ZK-AVI, which Crashed following steep turn & destroyed by fire near Taumaranui 26.10.69. Regitration ZK-AVI cancelled 4.11.69. Stored for rebuild by M Robertson, Takapuna in 1978. It is therefore possible that "ZK-AVJ" is a compiste of both airframes.

Crashed following engine failure and badly damaged at Palm Meadows Golf Course, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, 5.12.98. Re-registered 22.4.99 to David John Kerr, North Ward, Queensland (Cleveland, Queensland with effect from 9.1.06); rebuilt & reflown Caboolture in April 2014 (based Caboolture); [painted in Queensland Airplanters colours]. Currently regd.

Note: A static airfame marked as ZK-AVJ was on display in January 2007 at Classic Flyers Museum, Tauranga and was made up from non-airworthy and new build/non-aviation components by Colin Sutherland. It is not clear if this airframe was anything to do with the 'original' ZK-AVJ. Some published sources (see links #6 & #7) describe this airframe as "actually a Replica, originally built for the agridome. It was indeed a project by Wal and Colin Denholm, also Colin Sutherland of White Island Airways".

1. NZ Archives file no. 25/3/253
2. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
3. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a17b.htm
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pAus4.html
5. Tiger Moth ZK-AVJ at Rotorua Airport (NZRO) Rotorua New Zealand 3.3.53: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/001256991.html
6. Tiger Moth 'ZK-AVJ' at At Tauranga Classic Flyers 12.11.2010: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000721873.html
7. https://rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/2298
8. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac2/NZZZ/ZK-AVJ.html
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamilton_Airport_(New_Zealand)

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

31 December 1953	ZK-AVJ	James Aviation Ltd	0	Rotorua		sub
28 September 1955	ZK-AVJ	Aerial Superspread Ltd	0	Near Whakawhitira, East Coast		sub
17 September 1956	ZK-AVJ	James Aviation Ltd	0	Tikitiki, East Coast		w/o

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Jan-2017 09:41	angels one five	Added
15-Sep-2021 19:42	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
18-Sep-2021 01:56	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
21-Jan-2022 20:18	Ron Averes	Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Location]