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Lutana MemorialPrint Page Print this page

13-July-2018 (Russell Byers)
13-July-2018 (Russell Byers)

Photographs supplied by Russell Byers / John Huth

The monument commemorates those who were killed in the crash of the Australian National Airways (ANA) DC3 aeroplane at Square Peak.

VH-ANK "Lutana" left Townsville at 11.30 a.m. and then it departed from Brisbane at 5.30 pm on the 2nd September 1948,  carrying a crew of three and ten passengers. The pilot apparently achieved the standard diversion seaward of the Brisbane-Kempsey radio range to allow separation from incoming aeroplanes, and reconnection with his range track at Kyogle. However somewhere along the route the pilot moved over 160 kilometres west of his radio range.

When he requested permission to descend from 1828 to 1219 metres from the Sydney approach controller, he was flying over mountains rising well over that height. The pilot was clearly mistaken as to where he was. The wreckage was sighted two days later by an East-West pilot and the search party discovered that all on board had been killed instantly.

Following the Lutana accident, the findings of the enquiry were released on 17 November 1948 which led to a major shakeup of the Department`s air traffic control system.

Location

Address:Jenkins Street, Nundle, 2340
State:NSW
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -31.460371
Long: 151.128278
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:Disaster
Sub-Theme:Aviation
Actual Event Start Date:02-September-1948
Actual Event End Date:02-September-1948

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Sunday 29th May, 1983
Front Inscription

ANA DC3 "Lutana" VH-ANK crashed into "Square Peak " Nundle

2nd September,1948.

All aboard perished

Capt J. Drummond          Edmund Nelson   H.Moorfoot
Hostess Miss B.M.Wise   Eugene Nelson   L. Thompson
1st Off. J. Atkinson           W. Falkiner         J. Sothman
Mrs M. McIntyre               F. Coughlan        C. Rossiter
A. Van Andel

Erected by Nundle District Lions Club.

29th May, 1983

Source: MA,NRUM
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au