ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 300608
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| Date: | Monday 12 July 1943 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: | de Havilland DH.84 Dragon Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 33 Sqn RAAF |
| Registration: | A34-43 |
| MSN: | 2032 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Terapo Airfield, Gulf -
 Papua New Guinea
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea |
| Terapo Strip, Terapo, Kerema District, New Guinea |
12.42: Manufactured by De Havilland Aircraft Pty Ltd, Mascot Airport, Sydney NSW as part of an order for 87 aircraft
31.12.42: 1st Flight at Mascot, Sydney, NSW.
10.01.43: Received by No 2 Aircraft Park (2 AP) at Bankstown Airport, Sydney, NSW and bought on charge as A34-43
11.01.43: Allocated to Australian National Airways (ANA) Essendon Airport, Melbourne, Victoria for transport/air ambulance conversion. To proceed via 1 Aircraft Depot at RAAF Laverton for weighing purposes.
21.01.43: Received by ANA at Essendon, Melbourne
29.01.43: Allocated to No 33 Transport Squadron RAAF at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
02.02.43: Received by 1 Aircraft Depot RAAF Laverton, Victoria, for weight and post conversion checks.
09.02.43: Received by 33 Squadron RAAF
07.05.43: Problems with elevator control stiffness prompted the pilot to return to Berry Strip soon after takeoff. On the 2nd touchdown attempt the controls jammed resulting in the aircraft drifting off the runway. The port undercarriage struck a ditch which bent the oleo compression strut. Crew of O412182 Flying Officer K.A. Ramsay (pilot) and O414232 Pilot Officer J.K. Bagshaw were shaken but uninjured. Aircraft repaired at Unit.
12.07.43: Serious landing accident at Terapo Strip, Terapo, Kerema District, New Guinea. Aircraft developed a swing to starboard after landing and corrective action applied using a combination of rudder, throttle and brakes. The swing was almost corrected when the starboard wheel hit a deep drain which pulled the other wheel into the drain resulting in the undercarriage being torn off. Damage also inflicted on the main plane and breaking both airscrews. Pilot A415444 Sergeant S. Reading was uninjured and calmly handed over the wreck to a 15 ARD salvage crew who already at the strip recovering a Tiger Moth!
Terapo Airfield is located near Terapo and the Lakekamu River roughly ten miles inland from the the Gulf of Papua. Roughly 200 miles to the southeast is Port Moresby. Today located in the Kerema District of Gulf Province in Papua New Guinea (PNG).
15.07.43: Allocated to No 15 Aircraft Repair Depot (15 ARD) for salvage and repair.
18.07.43: Received by 15 ARD.
18.05.44: After complete survey requested approval for conversion. Deterioration resultant from tropical service made the aircraft uneconomical to repair.
24.05.44: Issued to the Technical Salvage Section of 15 ARD.
04.08.44: Approved for conversion to components. Total airframe hours – 151.15
Sources:
1. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH84.pdf
2. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/pAus01.html
3. https://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/dh84-pt2/dh84-dragon-pt2.htm
4. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a34.htm
5. https://pacificwrecks.com/airfields/png/terapo/index.html
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Nov-2022 19:41 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 07-Nov-2022 19:42 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 07-Nov-2022 23:33 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 30-Jun-2023 05:32 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Operator, Operator]] |
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