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Squadron Leader John Holt & Flight Lieutenant Adam NoordinkPrint Page Print this page

11-July-2018 (John Huth)
11-July-2018 (John Huth)

Photographs supplied by Paul Bamford / John Huth

The monument in the Royal Australia Air Force (RAAF) section of the Evans Head War Cemetery commemorates Squadron Leader John Francis Holt and Flight Lieutenant Adam Philip Winold Noordink who died in the line of duty.  Another memorial, at the crash site believed to be on Commonwealth Government Restricted Land, was unveiled on the same day.

On September 29, 1977,  John Holt and Phil Noordink died after their aircraft was involved in a bird-strike incident. Earlier that morning, F-111 A8-133, callsign ‘Falcon 32’, had departed RAAF Base Amberley for the Evans Head Air Weapons range to conduct a conversion course sortie. Falcon 32 had successfully completed two runs and had just turned again for the third when at least three birds, possibly pelicans, struck it in the cockpit front.

The birds smashed the cockpit canopies and may have also disabled the crew. Holt and Noordink initiated ejection well outside the safe envelope from the stricken aircraft but, tragically, the crew module struck the ground and they died. They were the first of three 6 Squadron crews who have been lost since the aircraft entered service in 1973.

 

Location

Address:Cemetery Road, Evans Head War Cemetery, Evans Head, 2473
State:NSW
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -29.110524
Long: 153.421729
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
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Details

Monument Type:Monument
Monument Theme:People
Sub-Theme:Military
Actual Event Start Date:29-September-1977
Actual Event End Date:29-September-1977

Dedication

Actual Monument Dedication Date:Friday 29th September, 2006
Front Inscription

In memory of 

Squadron Leader John Francis Holt    
Flight Lieutenant Adam Philip Winold Noordink

Of No. 6 Squadron who tragically lost their lives in the crash of a  Royal Australian Airforce F-111C, A8-133 on 29 September 1977

`Falcon 32` crashed whilst on a practice bombing mission at Evans Head Range.  A8-133 was struck by large birds on the cockpit canopy causing the  aircraft to crash south of the range with the loss of both aircrew

They made the ultimate sacrifice serving the country

 

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