ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 27120
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| Date: | Friday 7 May 1937 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | de Havilland DH.84 Dragon |
| Owner/operator: | North Queensland Airways |
| Registration: | VH-UZG |
| MSN: | 6027 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Holloways Beach, 2 miles North of Cairns Airport, QLD -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Cairns Airport, Cairns, Queensland (YCBS) |
| Cooktown, Queensland | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
c/no. 6027 (Gipsy Major #5224/5225): Registered as G-ACFG [C of R 4260] 3.5.33 to The de Havilland Aircraft Co Ltd, Stag Lane, Edgware, Middlesex. C of A 3891 issued 28.6.33. Entered by Lord Wakefield in Kings Cup Air Race 7.33 and flown to fifth place by Capt Hubert Broad. Sold 28.9.33 to Rupert Harry Beverton, London NW.6 as nominee for an Italian Count for European tour to Vienna, Belgrade, Bucharest and Constantinople. (Also reported to Societe Aerea Mediterranea, Italy with date quoted of 6.5.34 and with return to Brian Lewis & Co
12.34, which is inconsistent). Sold 7.34 and regd [C of R 5316] on 22.8.34 to George Nicholson t/a Northern Airways, Cramlington. Company incorporated 21.11.34 and re-registered [C of R 5495] 11.12.34 to Northern & Scottish Airways Ltd, Cramlington, Northumberland (later Renfrew. Glasgow). Registration G-ACFG cancelled 2.2.37 as sold. Re-registered in Australia as VH-UZG 19.4.37 to North Queensland Airways Pty Ltd, Cairns,
It had an interesting history, and the following excerpt is from the February 25, 1937 issue of Flight International magazine:
"The fact that G-ACFG has just been sold to an Australian company, we believe may not be very interesting news. This, however, of all Dragons, has had a more than usually eventful career - though Dragons, as the first large machines to pay their unsubsidized way, are always eventful. This particular D.H.84 was built in 1933, finished fifth in the King's Cup race of that year (pilot Hubert Broad) and was bought by an Italian count, with whom, apparently, she travelled to Vienna, Belgrade, Bucharest and Constantinople.
In 1934 she was purchased by Mr. George Nicholson to operate his Northern Airways' service between Newcastle and the Isle of Man. When Northern and Scottish Airways was formed by him in November of that year, G-ACFG came over from Renfrew to start the services, and was used for the inaugural Skye and Hebridean flight. Her log-book shows some 130,000 miles. Let us hope that she flies another 130,000 miles in Australia."
Unfortunately this never happened: on 7 May 1937 the Dragon crashed near Holloways Beach, 2 miles north of Cairns Airport, Cairns, North Queensland. North Queensland Airways pilot John Wawn received severe injuries, and his 3 passengers were slightly injured. Crashed on edge of aerodrome on takeoff for Cooktown. Nose-dived into the ground shortly after clearing the aerodrome boundary fence and aircraft wrecked.
North Queensland Airways ground engineer Jack Atkinson later wrote: "Another aircraft acquired was a DH84 Dragon which was bought in Scotland and transported to Cairns in crates. After assembly and under the registration of VH-UZG she did only one trip on a regular run and was then written off in a crash on the Cairns aerodrome".
Sources:
1. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ACFG.pdf
2. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austu/VH-UZG.html
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p060.html
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_VH-U1.html
5. http://macrobertson-air-race.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73&Itemid=11
6. http://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/dh84-pt1/dh84-dragon-pt1.htm
7. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH84.pdf
8. http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/aeroplanes/15-aeroplanes/77-register-gb-g-ac
9. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh84-dragon-cairns
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holloways_Beach,_Queensland
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 29-Dec-2011 14:42 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 06-Apr-2014 19:55 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Total occupants, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 02-Oct-2017 21:24 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Jun-2022 05:46 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
| 26-Oct-2022 22:38 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 26-Oct-2022 22:38 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 26-Oct-2022 22:43 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 27-May-2023 08:24 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Location, Source, Narrative, Category]] |
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