ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 300075
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| Date: | Tuesday 10 August 1954 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | De Havilland DH.94 Moth Minor |
| Owner/operator: | Clive B Martin |
| Registration: | VH-ADL |
| MSN: | 94028 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 80 miles North of Renner Springs, Barkly Tablelands, NT -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | Darwin International Airport, Darwin, NT (DRW/YPDN) |
| Alice Springs Airport,Alice Springs, SA (ASP/YBAS) |
Built by De Havilland Aircraft Co Ltd at Hatfield, England
1939 Ordered by Royal Aero Club of WA (Inc), Perth WA
13.7.39: DCA allocated registrations VH-ADA, VH-ADB and VH-ADC on request from Royal Aero Club of WA for three new Moth Minors which they have ordered.
18.7.39: DCA allocated VH-ACK and VH-ACL for Moth Minors, but later cancelled as “same aircraft as 13 July allocation”
7.39 Application for British C of A by De Havilland Aircraft Co Ltd, Hatfield quoted allocated registration G-AFPL, changed to VH-ACK. Prior to issue of C of A the company advised the Air Registration Board that the correct registration was VH-ADA. (G-AFPL was in fact c/n 9408 in the Hatfield production run of coupe cabin models). Test flown at Hatfield, painted as VH-ADA
26.7.39: British C of A issued as VH-ADA, owner Royal Aero Club of Western Australia, Perth, WA
8.39: Shipped to Australia
29.9.39: Crated aircraft unloaded from ship at Fremantle, Perth. Taken by road to Maylands Aerodrome
9.39: Assembled in aero club hangar at Maylands, airframe already painted at VH-ADA
30.9.39: Test flown at Maylands by club Chief Engineer Robert O.Giles. Airframe total time prior to test flight was 15 mins (=test flight in UK, see above)
30.9.39: Australian C of A issued
20.10.39: Registered VH-ADA: Royal Aero Club of WA (Inc), Maylands Aerodrome, Perth WA. Used for basic training of RAAF pilots prior to the establishment of RAAF EFTS units
3.2.40: VH-ADA noted at Maylands, all silver, Royal Aero Club of WA insignia on tail.
16.9.40: DCA memo: "This aircraft is currently under consideration by the Air Board for impressment"
29.9.40: C of A expired. Stored in aero club hangar at Maylands. Stored Maylands and not flown due wartime restrictions on private flying and fuel rationing.
30.3.44: Purchased by Langley G. Hancock, "Mulga Downs" Station, Roebourne WA, later Nunyerry Asbestos Mines, Coolawanyah WA Hancock had taken over ownership of Mulga Downs from his parents and was District Superintendent of Australian Blue Asbestos Ltd at Roebourne
31.3.44: C of A renewed at Maylands
7.10.44: Badly damaged in forced landing 4 miles west of Reedys WA, pilot Hancock unhurt
1.6.45: C of A renewed at Maylands after rebuild
1.48: Sliding canopy installed covering the rear cockpit by Aero Service, Maylands. Appears to have used CA-6 Wackett Trainer canopy sections. Hancock modified the sliding canopy to cover both cockpits. It was a one-off design quite different to the prewar Moth Minor Coupe models delivered new in Britain by De Havillands, which had a raised rear fuselage decking.
11.48: DCA write to Hancock advising that registration VH-ADA was now prohibited because of "confliction with ICAO codes or standard call signs". VH-ADL has now been allocated to his aircraft. Hancock replies that he wants to keep VH-ADA as his aircraft is known by that marking in the Pilbara district in the north of WA. DCA do not insist on the change of registration
20.10.49: Change of ownership: Kingsford Smith Aviation Service Pty Ltd, Sydney as trade-in against new Auster J-5 VH-KSV ordered by Hancock. Auster due for delivery from Sydney 1.50
3.50: Moth Minor ferried WA to Sydney, still marked as VH-ADA. Stored at Bankstown
6.8.51: Struck-off Register in 1951 DCA Census of unairworthy aircraft
28.5.52: Official re-registration date to VH-ADL
18.9.52: Restored to Register as VH-ADL: owner Kingsford Smith Aviation Service (Pty) Ltd, Bankstown Airport, Sydney, NSW
4.53: Photo at Bankstown with canopy, taxying, taken by John Whittaker: he recalled at the time it was owned by Kingsford Smith Aviation Service and being used by an organisation called the Volunteer Coast Guard Corp which failed to gain Government backing. "VH-ADL was a delight to fly as it was fitted with a Wackett canopy and you had no trouble in rainy weather."
30.12.53: Change of ownership: Clive B. Martin, Sydney NSW
1.3.54: noted at Bankstown, with canopy, parked outside
1.8.54: Departed Bankstown in Redex Air Reliability Trial to Brisbane, Darwin, Adelaide, Bankstown, entered by C. B. Martin.
10.8.54: Written off (damaged beyond repair) when force landed and overturned 80 miles North of Renner Springs, Barkly Tablelands, NT during the air trial. Press reports stated the aircraft overturned when struck a tree while making a forced landing on the main north-south Stuart Highway during the Redex Air Trial. The pilot Clive B Martin was knocked unconscious briefly and when he came to, he was face down in sand and had to scrape sand from his mouth to breathe. He was found still strapped in the cockpit by a passing car driver and taken to Tennant Creek hospital, with broken arm, severe bruising and other injuries.
Renner Springs is a location in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is in the heart of the Barkly Tablelands cattle country. The tiny settlement is on the Stuart Highway, north of the intersection of the Barkly Highway and Tennant Creek. It is 662 kilometres from Alice Springs, the largest town in the Outback, and 820 km from Darwin.
22.8.55: VH-ADL Struck-off Register
Sources:
1. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AFPL.pdf
2. https://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/dh94/dh94mothminor.htm
3. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH94.pdf
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p940.html
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renner_Springs
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Oct-2022 18:27 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
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