Date:	Thursday 25 March 1937
Time:	c. 15:55 LT
Type:	de Havilland DH.60M Moth
Owner/operator:	Otago Aero Club
Registration:	ZK-ACI
MSN:	1564
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Wyllie's Crossing near Mosgiel, Otago -   New Zealand
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Taeri Aerodrome (NZTI)
Destination airport:

Narrative:
DH.60M [Gipsy I] to Dominion of New Zealand with C of A 2731 issued 10.9.30. Arrived in New Zealand 7.11.30 and registered ZK-ACI on 7.10.31 to Otago Aero Club, Dunedin [Govt Loan aircraft].

Written off (destroyed) when spun in at Wyllie's Crossing near Mosgiel, while practicing aerobatics. The pilot, Errol Warrington Colvin (aged 22), was killed. The young man took off from the North Taieri aerodrome at. 3.45 p.m. on a practice flight, and after circling to gain altitude, flew in a westerly direction towards Outram. Ton minutes after leaving the aerodrome, the machine, which was by this time over Wyllie’s Crossing, about a mile and a half in a direct line from the airport, was observed by an onlooker to go into at least three consecutive rolls, from which the pilot recovered satisfactorily each time. After the fourth roll, however, it did not come back to an even keel, end appeared to side slip, hurtling headlong into a paddock of oats at the rear of the residence of Mr. Stanley Clark, farmer.

He was buried at Northern Cemetery Dunedin, Dunedin City, Otago, New Zealand. R.I.P.

According to a contemporary local newspaper report ("Evening Star" 27 March 1937 - see link #1)

"TAIERI AIR CRASH
YOUNG DUNEDIN FLYER KILLED
PLANE SMASHED TO MATCHWOOD
INJURIES CAUSE INSTANT DEATH

Crashing in a paddock near Wylie’s Crossing shortly before 4 o’clock on Thursday afternoon, while flying in one of the Otago Aero Club’s aeroplanes, Errol Warrington Colvin, aged 20, who resided with his parents at 60 Forth street. Dunedin, received injuries which must have caused instant death.

According to accounts of eyewitnesses, it appears that the young pilot, who was practising "stunts" in the course of his training, got into a side-slip at too low an altitude, failed to recover, and crashed with a terrific impact into the ground.

The accident was the first serious mishap to occur at the Taieri to an Otago Aero Club plane, though several years ago another of the club’s planes was involved in a crash at St. Andrews, in which a passenger was killed and the pilot badly injured. Colvin was the holder of an A license.

Twenty years of age last November, Mr Colvin was a very popular member of the club. Six feet in height and weighing 12st 61b, he was strong and healthy, and for years had been deeply interested in flying. He received his primary education at the Albany Street School, and later spent five years at the Otago Boys’ High School, which he left last year to join the staff of the Public Library. It was Colvin’s intention to join the Air Force, and only a fortnight ago he went to Christchurch, to meet the air inspector and put in his application to proceed Home. He was required to report at Christchurch in May to undergo a three months’ course before leaving for England, the intention being for him to have four years’ tuition at Home before returning to New Zealand as an officer of the Dominion Air Force.

A keen and popular member of the club, the young pilot took off in the aeroplane ZKACI at 3.45 p.m. on a practice flight from the Taieri Aerodrome, and, after circling to gain altitude, flew in a westerly direction towards Outram. Ten minutes after leaving the aerodrome the machine, which by this time was at an estimated height of 2,000 ft over Wylie’s Crossing, was observed by an onlooker to go into three consecutive rolls, from which the pilot recovered each time. At the end of a fourth roll, however, the machine did not come back on to an even keel, appearing to sideslip, and came hurtling down into a paddock of oats at the rear of the residence of Mr Stanley Clark, a farmer. The “stunt” flying which the deceased was undertaking is part of the training, and it is considered that at too low an altitude he got into a side-slip, out of which he was unable to bring his machine.

The plane hit the ground with a terrific impact, the nose and the engine being buried fully 3ft under the surface of the soil. The cockpit of the pilot and the fuselage were completely telescoped on to the engine, and every strut was splintered to matchwood.

All that could be seen yesterday morning of the aeroplane was a mass of wreckage, and a few fragments of wing fabric lying on the lip of a miniature crater hollowed out by the great force with which the machine hit the ground.

Shortly after the accident Constable Wroblenslki, who is at present in charge of the Mosgiel station, and Constable Southgate, of Outram, were on the scene, and with the assistance of some men who were working in the vicinity, removed sufficient of the wreckage recover the body, the mangled condition of which made it clear that death, must have been instantaneous.

Flight-lieutenant E. G. Olsen, who was formerly pilot-instructor at the Taieri aerodrome and who is now a member of the New Zealand Air Force headquarters staff at Wigram, was at the airport on Thursday examining several candidates for their licenses, and, on behalf of the Inspector of Air Accidents, he has taken full charge of the investigations into the cause of the crash.

The wrecked plane, which was a De Havilland Gypsy Moth, was one of the veteran machines of the aerodrome, it having been given to the club by the Government in 1930. It had done about 2,000 hours of flying, but was still staunch and serviceable. In January it was thoroughly reconditioned, and was only recently completely overhauled and passed as airworthy. Following the custom whenever a machine leaves the airport, even if only for a short flight, the plane was given a searching examination by the club’s ground engineer, and there seems to be no doubt that it was in perfect condition when it was taken up on its last flight.

On Thursday the remains of the wings of the wrecked plane were removed to the aerodrome hangars. Before the engine and component parts were fully uncovered yesterday four men had to dig for about an hour, and it was then necessary to requisition a tractor to drag the wreckage out of the hole before loading it on to a lorry for removal to the aerodrome.

An inquest was opened yesterday morning at the morgue before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M. Formal evidence of identification was taken, and the inquiry was adjourned sine die

1. Evening Star 27 March 1937: https://otagotaphophile.blogspot.com/2021/11/errol-warrington-colville-1917-2531937.html
2. The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney NSW) Saturday 27 March 1937 Page 13): https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/17355449
3. The West Australian (Perth, WA) Saturday 27 March 1937 Page 16: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/41289150
4. The Herald (Melbourne, Victoria) Saturday 27 March 1937 Page 1: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/244648643
5. Gisborne Times 27 March 1937 Page 5: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GIST19370327.2.40
6. Wanganui Chronicle 12 April 1937 Page 8: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WC19370412.2.96
7. http://www.flydw.org.uk/DWZKAAH.htm
8. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/169806267/errol-warrington-colvin
9. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_ZK-.html
10. https://ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/dh60.pdf
11. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p015.html
12. https://nzcivair.blogspot.com/2015/10/dh60m-zk-aci.html
13. https://baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh60m-moth-mosgiel-1-killed
14. http://www.topomap.co.nz/NZTopoMap/nz22123/DUNEDIN/
15. AHSNZ, 1988, Journal, Vol 31 No 2.

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

14 March 1931

ZK-ACI

Otago Aero Club

0

Hood Aerodrome, Masterton, Wairarapa

min

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Mar-2017 01:00	angels one five	Added
23-Aug-2017 10:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
03-Apr-2018 13:53	angels one five	Updated [Time, Phase, Narrative]
26-Sep-2019 05:47	angels one five	Updated [Time, Narrative]
07-Nov-2019 07:28	angels one five	Updated [Narrative]
23-Jan-2022 04:10	Ron Averes	Updated [Aircraft type]
23-Jan-2022 10:14	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
17-Oct-2023 05:57	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[Location]]
22-Oct-2023 17:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[[Location]]]
16-Nov-2023 07:11	Ron Averes	Updated [Aircraft type, Source]