File:Collision of two RNZAF Devons, 15 October 1953 (21913737760).jpg
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On 15 October 1953, two RNZAF aircraft collided in mid-air and spun to the ground just south of Christchurch. The crew and their passengers - seven people in total - were killed, making it the air force’s worst tragedy in New Zealand. The planes were De Havilland Devon short-haul transport aircraft, which had just taken part in a fly-past over Christchurch Airport. The fly-past was the final public event in a week of celebrations after completion of the London to Christchurch air race. It followed the presentation of prizes to the race winners, and the thousands of spectators were shocked to learn of the later collision. According to the Air Department file, as they broke formation at 1200-feet altitude, the port (left) wing of the second plane struck the starboard (right) wing of the leader. The pilots lost control and the planes went into a steep dive. They hit the ground about 200 metres apart: one crashed in a horse training paddock, the other against a belt of trees just 20 metres from a house and outbuildings. There were no survivors. An air force Court of Inquiry ten days later found the planes and their pilots had been inadequately prepared for formation flying. It placed blame, too, on the aircraft's sunshield which obstructed the pilot's view of airspace above his plane. The shields were immediately removed from all Devons. These images come from the Air Department file on the collision. On the left is the resting spot of NZ 1811, while the right image shows the tangled wreck of NZ 1810. Archives Reference: AIR1 Box 647/ 25/2/2659 archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=21076863 For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ArchivesNZ Material from Archives New Zealand Caption information from stuff.co.nz |
| Date | |
| Source | Collision of two RNZAF Devons, 15 October 1953 |
| Author | Archives New Zealand from New Zealand |
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This image was originally posted to Flickr by Archives New Zealand at https://flickr.com/photos/35759981@N08/21913737760. It was reviewed on 8 September 2016 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-sa-2.0. |
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| Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
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| current | 20:51, 8 September 2016 | | 5,753 × 2,092 (6.66 MB) | Vanished Account Byeznhpyxeuztibuo (talk | contribs) | Transferred from Flickr via Flickr2Commons |
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