Date & Time:
Dec 8, 1941
Type of aircraft:
Consolidated PBY Catalina
Operator:
Registration:
A24-15
Flight Phase:
Takeoff (climb)
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Port Moresby - Port Moresby
MSN:
322
YOM:
1941
Country:
Papua New Guinea
Region:
Oceania
Crew on board:
8
Crew fatalities:
8
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
8
Circumstances:
Two minutes after takeoff from Port Moresby, while climbing, the floatplane impacted the slope of a mountain located on Gemo Island (Hanudamava Island). The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a post crash fire and all eight crew members were killed.
Crew (11th Squadron):
F/O Lincoln James Sloan, pilot,
F/Lt Nelson Prior Reid, copilot,
Cpl Neville Lawrence Ernst, flight engineer,
Cpl Eric John O’Donnell, rigger,
LAC Charles James Matheson, flight engineer,
AC1 Keith Mighell Sidey, wireless operator,
AC1 Arthur Wallace Magee, wireless operator,
AC1 George Robert Peterson, armourer.
Crew (11th Squadron):
F/O Lincoln James Sloan, pilot,
F/Lt Nelson Prior Reid, copilot,
Cpl Neville Lawrence Ernst, flight engineer,
Cpl Eric John O’Donnell, rigger,
LAC Charles James Matheson, flight engineer,
AC1 Keith Mighell Sidey, wireless operator,
AC1 Arthur Wallace Magee, wireless operator,
AC1 George Robert Peterson, armourer.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.
