Date:	Sunday 31 October 1982
Time:	11:05
Type:	de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	B R Rowley
Registration:	VH-BII
MSN:	82473
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	Scone Airport, 3 km West of Scone, NSW -   Australia
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Scone Regional Airport, Scone, NSW (YSCN)
Destination airport:	Walcha Airport, Walcha, NSW (YWCH)
Investigating agency:	BASI
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 82473 (Gipsy Major #82200); Taken on charge as N9403 at 5 MU RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire 11.11.39. To 36 MU RAF Sealand, Flintshire 10.12.39 for packing and crating for overses ship,ment. Shipped to Australia 27.12.39. Taken on charge by the RAAF 22.2.40, retaining RAF serial. To 3 EFTS Essendon 19.8.40. To 11 EFTS Benalla 24.7.41. To 8 EFTS Narrandera 30.3.42. To 5 EFTS Narromine 28.4.43. To 8 EFTS Narrandera 23.6.44. For sale at CMU Narrandera 30.4.47.

Struck off charge when sold 23.6.47 to M J Tiffin, Leeton, NSW. Australian civil registered as VH-BIL 3.10.47 to James Tiffen, Leeton, NSW. Registration cancelled 2.10.48. Re-registered 4.8.49 to same owner. C of A lapsed 3.3.50; registration cancelled 6.8.51. Re-registered 16.6.52 to same owner. Re-registered 23.2.54 to Eric E Condon, t/a Wagga Flying School, Wagga Wagga, NSW. Re-registered 19.8.54 to Mrs Dorothy G Condon, Wagga Wagga, NSW. Re-registered 7.2.57 to Maurice F Hagarty, Brewarrina, NSW. Crashed at Brewarrina, NSW 18.4.61. Registration VH-BIL cancelled 18.4.61. Rebuilt (1976-1982) and re-registered as VH-BII 25.8.82 to B R Rowley, Cardiff, NSW.

Written off (destroyed) when spun into the ground shortly after take-off from Scone Airport, 3 km West of Scone, NSW 27.10.82 and destroyed by fire; 2 on board killed. According to the ATSB report into the accident:

"Arrangements had been made for three Tiger Moth aircraft to carry out a fly-past at Walcha as part of celebrations to commemorate the first Australian superphosphate spreading operation by air. Earlier in the day VH-BII was flown from Williamtown to Maitland and Scone, where all three aircraft were refuelled in readiness for the flight. The pilots briefly discussed the flight procedures to be used enroute to Walcha and agreed that the pilot of the aircraft planned to take-off last would be responsible for navigation for the group. There was little or no discussion about how the aircraft would form up after take-off prior to departing on track.

The aircraft were positioned for take-off with VH-BII planned to be the second of the group to become airborne. The first aircraft took off normally and commenced a left turn when at a height of about 500 feet. VH-BII was observed to follow a similar pattern, however the third aircraft commenced a right turn after take-off to intercept the track to Walcha. Shortly afterwards VH-BII, which had made a gradual turn to the left through about 45 degrees was observed to rapidly enter a steeply banked turn to the right. The angle of bank increased and the aircraft entered a spin. Any recovery action attempted by the pilot was unsuccessful and the aircraft struck the ground in a steep nose-down attitude after passing through a set of power lines. Fire broke out immediately and engulfed the wreckage.

Subsequent investigation did not disclose any defect or malfunction of the airframe, engine or systems of the aircraft which might have affected the pilot's ability to safely control the aircraft.

Significant Factors:
1. The pilot was inexperienced on the aircraft type.
2. There was insufficient pre-flight discussion and briefing as to how the aircraft would form up after take-off prior to departing for Walcha
3. The pilot mishandled the flight controls of the aircraft in an apparent attempt to follow the lead aircraft.
4. Control of the aircraft was lost at too low a height to enable recovery to be effected."

Scone Airport, (IATA: NSO, ICAO: YSCO) is a public airport in the Upper Hunter Valley, 4 km (2.5 miles) northwest of Scone, New South Wales, Australia. It was built to provide a public aerodrome replacing Nandowra aerodrome on located at Nandowra, approximately 9 km south of Scone.

Registration VH-BII cancelled 31.10.82. Sold 5.5.96 by Donald A Bunn (Bunn Aviation (Pty) Ltd), Albury, NSW to Ed Clark Junior (Moth Aircraft Co), Hawthorne, California and airframe shipped as 'basketcase' to USA. Sold 3.6.2003 to Harry Schoning (for $1,100). Regd N80660 (reserved 22.8.2003) 16.12.03 to Harry Schoning, Palm Desert, California. Sold 25.2.2004 and re-registered 25.7.2007 to Frank Dale Grubbs & Kenneth B Carpenter, Knoxville, Tennessee; rebuilt and reflown 29.4.2008 painted in DeHavilland School of Flight colours as “G-ATDK” (owners Tom/Dale/Ken). C of A issued 25.4.2008.

(The real G-ATDK was a Vacuum-Reflex Ltd WASP (Warm-Air Ship Project) MSN VR.1; first registered 4.5.65 and registration cancelled as WFU ("Withdrawn From Use") on 21.4.69. Alhough it was inflated several times in the mid-to-late 1960s, it never actualy flew)

Undercarriage collapsed in forced landing following propeller failure on take-off Seymour Airpark, Tennessee 30.8.2008; pilot Dale Grubbs; rebuilt & reflown by October 2012. Currently registered.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
2. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a17d.htm
3. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH82.pdf
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p824.html
5. ATSB Summary of the accident: https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/1982/aair/aair198201428/
6. ATSB Full Report into hte accident: https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/27528/aair198201428.pdf
7. https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=80660
8. History of the WASP (Warm Air Ship Project) G-ATDK: https://www.fai.org/sites/default/files/documents/cia-hof-smith-anthony.pdf
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scone_Airport
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walcha_Airport

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

30 August 2008	N80660	Frank Dale Grubbs & Kenneth B Carpenter	0	Seymour Air Park, Sevierville, Tennessee		sub
Gear collapse

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Jul-2018 09:59	Pineapple	Added
11-Jan-2022 16:52	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
11-Jan-2022 20:44	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
11-Jan-2022 20:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
11-Jan-2022 21:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]