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QANTAS Crash SitePrint Page Print this page

21-September-2015 (Bob Rogers)
21-September-2015 (Bob Rogers)

Photographs supplied by Bob Rogers / Sue Smith / John Huth

The monument marks the site of first crash of a QANTAS aeroplane in 1927.

On 24 March 1927 the DH9C G-AUED was on a regular route between Charleville and Mount Isa with Tambo as its secondary destination. It intended landing on the clay-pan that serves as Tambo’s airstrip when it was seen to dive suddenly into the ground. Mystery surrounds why the crash occurred but it was determined the aeroplane had landed at a nearby station to undertake repairs. The three men on board were buried at the Tambo cemetery.

After just over six years' operation during which over 450,000 miles have been flown without injury to either personnel or passengers, disaster befell one of the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service aeroplanes at Tambo this morning. The pilot, D. Davidson, of Richmond, and A. W. N. Bell, owner of Belmont Station Winton, who accompanied him as passenger, were killed, while the other passenger, J. Donaldson, manager of Rocklands Station, Camooweal, was so severely injured that he succumbed some hours after the accident. It was  the pilot's first trip.
Morning Bulletin (Rockhampton), 25th March 1927.

 

 

Location

Address:Dawson Development Road, Tambo, 4478
State:QLD
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -24.876867
Long: 146.251964
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
View Google Map

Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:Disaster
Sub-Theme:Aviation
Actual Event Start Date:24-March-1927
Actual Event End Date:24-March-1927

Dedication

Approx. Monument Dedication Date:2001
Front Inscription

In memory

This is the site of the QANTAS De Havilland DH9C G-AUED plane crash

24th March 1927

Three lives were lost

Ian Douglas Davidson (27 years) Pilot
William Robertson Donaldson (40)
Archibald Wallace North Bell (55)

They flew with courage through clear blue skies, to their date with death.
Now here they lie in a peaceful grave too young to die.
Neil Galway 2001

 

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