Date:	Saturday 25 October 2008
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
Owner/operator:	Bevan Charles Clifford
Registration:	VH-FBO
MSN:	82918
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	Goolwa Airport, Goolwa, SA -   Australia
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Goolwa Airport, Goolwa, SA (YGWA)
Destination airport:	Goolwa Airport, Goolwa, SA (YGWA)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth MSN 82918 (Gipsy Major #82815); Taken on charge as R5023 at 9 MU RAF Cosford, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire 1.4.40. To RAF Pendeford, Wolverhampton 25.9.40; returned to 9 MU 12.10.40. To 14 EFTS RAF Elmdon, Birmingham 25.10.40. To DeHavilland 9.1.41 for overhaul/repairs. To 19 EFTS RAF Sealand, Flintshire 23.3.41. Crashed 14.12.41 (presumed at Sealand); to Taylorcraft, Rearsby, Leicestershire for repairs 18.12.41. To 46 MU RAF Lossiemouth, Morayshire 17.2.42 upon completion of repairs. To 24 EFTS RAF Sealand, Flintshire 26.1.43. To 28 EFTS RAF Pendeford, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire 29.4.43. To 29 EFTS RAF Clyffe Pypard, Wiltshire 9.5.43. To 8 MU RAF Little Rissington, Gloucestershire 26.11.47. To 5 RFS RAF Castle Bromwich, Warwickshire 4.10.48 coded “RCY-U”. To 23 RFS RAF Usworth, Sunderland, County Durham 19.10.50. To Hull UAS (University Air Squadron) RAF Brough, East Yorkshire 7.5.51. To 11 RFS RAF Perth/Scone, Perthshire 6.6.51 coded “15”. To 64 Group Communications Flight, RAF Rufforth, York, North Yorkshire 13.5.52. To RAF Leconfield [unconfirmed date in late 1952-early 1953]. To 10 MU RAF Hullavington, Chippenham, Wiltshire 1.9.53 for long-term storage pending disposal.

Struck off charge when sold 1.4.54 to Adie Aviation Ltd, Croydon. UK civil registered G-AOGY (C of R R5251/1) 8.2.56 to Muir & Adie Ltd, Croydon. C of A issued 11.4.56. UK regdsitration G-AOGY cancelled 6.7.56 as 'entered on Australian Register - VH-RSE".

Australian civil registered as VH-RSE (C of R 2937) 6.7.56 to Royal Aero Club of NSW, Bankstown, Sydney, NSW. Re-registered VH-FBO 6.2.58 to Joseph H Bowden, Kegarah, NSW. Re-registered 22.12.58 to C A Schutt, Beaumaris, Victoria. Re-registered 8.9.59 to Bob Couper & Co, Cunderdin, WA. Badly damaged when struck rocks on landing near Trayning, WA 10.9.60. Repair and re-registered 23.9.64 to A S Adams, Katanning, WA. Re-registered 17.11.65 to Western Aerial Service (Pty) Ltd, Cunderdin, WA. Withdrawn From Use and registration cancelled 9.9.71. Re-registered 6.3.75 to J K Bickell, Yalgoo, WA. Crashed on landing at Pindathuna, WA 19.10.75; registration cancelled 3.11.75 as WFU ("Withdrawn From Use").

Re-registered 17.2.77 to D P MacPherson, Gunnedah, NSW. Damaged while taxying at Gunnedah, NSW 24.12.77; repaired and returned to service. Re-registered 10.1.89 to Victor N Kuhle, Kyabram, Victoria. Re-registered [1992] to A Gasson, Marshall, Victoria; painted in RAF colours as R-5023 [1999]. Sold and re-registered 27.9.2005 to Bevan Charles Clifford, Loxton, SA. Crashed on landing in gusty weather Goolwa, SA 25.10.2008: owner/pilot Bevan Clifford injured. According to a contemporary local newspaper report ("Adelaide Advertiser" 26.10.2008 see link #3):

"A LIGHT plane has crashed at the Goolwa Airfield with the pilot - aged in his 50s - suffering head and spinal injuries in the accident. It is understood the plane crashed shortly after take-off at the airfield, on Airport Rd, Currency Creek.

An airport spokesman said the tiger moth plane was attempting to land when strong winds caused the plane to 'spin around' out of control. Emergency services crew are at the scene and a helicopter response retrieval team has been dispatched from Flinders Hospital.

According to an eyewitness report:
"I, along with a friend,were standing by the runway watching the various aircraft landing, when the Tiger began circling, and getting ready to land to the north on a north/south strip. We knew this was going to be interesting,because of the difficulty experienced by other plane's landings earlier.

She was on final and yawing considerably because of the crosswind from the left, but still the pilot was doing a magnificent job keeping her under control. He was stuck between his Tiger wanting to fly, and him wanting to land. He managed to get his port wheel to touch a number of times, but she just wasn't going to land.

So doing, in my opinion, the sensible thing, the pilot decided to climb out, and come around for another attempt (I would have gone home). Climbing just above stall to maybe two or three hundred feet, the pilot turned 90 degrees to starboard with the wind (I'll leave the wisdom of that for others to decide). The turn continued on to 180 degrees where she just tip stalled and fell. Again,the pilot did a superb job under the circumstances, but the gods weren't with him that day."

Goolwa is a historic river port on the Murray River near the Murray Mouth in South Australia, and joined by a bridge to Hindmarsh Island. The name "Goolwa" means "elbow" in Ngarrindjeri, the local Aboriginal language, and the area was known as "The Elbow" to the early settlers

To Benalla Aviation Museum, Victoria, 2009 for rebuild to static condition. Initially painted as A17-104 [2017]; then repainted as A17-242 [2018]. Currently registered (to Bevan Charles Clifford at Loxton, SA).

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft R1000-R9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1980)
2. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-AOGY.pdf
3. https://www.pprune.org/dg-p-general-aviation-questions/348322-light-plane-crashes-goolwa.html
4. http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austcl/VH-FBO.html
5. Tiger Moth VH-FBO (various photos 1978-2017): https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/registration/VH-FBO?f=&sort=date_taken_formatted&order=asc
6. https://www.austairdata.com.au/component/rsdirectory/entry/view/17724-vh-fbo-1
7. Tiger Moth VH-FBO at Avalon Airport, Avalon, Victoria Australia (YMAV) 22.3.2007: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000982336.html
8. Tiger Moth VH-FBO at Temora Airport, Temora, New South Wales Australia (YTEM) 24.4.2004: https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000248502.html
9. Tiger Moth VH-FBO at Maitland, NSW (YMND) 21.10.1984: https://www.airhistory.net/photo/12418/VH-FBO
https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=8383
10. https://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/wa-aerial-ag-operators-2/westaustralianagoperators2.html
11. https://www.regosearch.com/aircraft/au/FBO
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goolwa,_South_Australia

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
23-Apr-2010 10:16	Petro	Added
31-Jan-2012 08:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative]
26-Apr-2014 23:29	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
06-Feb-2022 15:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category]
06-Feb-2022 16:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
06-Feb-2022 16:05	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
10-Jun-2022 02:25	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]