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| Date: | Friday 20 June 1941 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide |
| Owner/operator: | 1 AOS RAAF |
| Registration: | A33-2 |
| MSN: | 6318 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 5 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 1 mile NW of Cootamundra, NSW -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAAF Cootamundra, NSW |
c/no.6318: CofA 5323 issued 7.2.36. Assembled and test-flown Parafield 7.4.36. Registered VH-UVI [C of R 577] 15.4.36 to Adelaide Airways Ltd, Parafield. Airline taken over 1.11.36 and re-registered 25.11.36 to Australian National Airways Pty Ltd, Essendon; named "Moogana". Re-registered 8.8.39 to Guinea Airways Ltd, Adelaide; named "Bulolo". Registration cancelled 17.7.40.
Impressed into RAAF as A33-2 and to 1 EFTS Parafield 12.7.40. To 1 AOS Cootamundra 18.10.40.
Written off (damaged beyond repair) when crashed into trees following engine failure on take off 1 mile North West of Cootamundra, NSW 20.6.41; pilot Flying Officer William Wynward Adrian killed, 4 passengers injured. According to a contemporary newspaper report ("Cairns Post" Cairns, Queensland, Monday 23 June 1941, Page 3):
"FLYING OFFICER W. ADRIAN.
INNISFAIL, June 22.
Flying Officer' W. Adrian, who - was killed in a plane crash at Cootamundra on Friday, was well, known at Innisfail, where he resided some years ago, and was an official of the Queensland National Bank staff. Prior to the war he showed himself as being air-mindéd, and was seen oh a number of flights in the Far North, whilst after hostilities commenced, he joined the RAAF.
The chairman of the Johnstone Shire Council (Cr. S. K. Page) said to-day that he very much regretted to learn the news of Flying Officer Adrian's tragic death. "Bill," as he was known to many people, would long be remembered at Innisfail as a thoroughly loyal bank official and courteous and obliging to the public. His many friends in this portion of the Far North were appalled at the shocking tragedy, and the sad news will also be received with regret in Babinda and Cairns, where deceased had also been known.
Speaking on Saturday night Mr. J. G. Archibald (President of the Innisfail Chamber of Commerce) said the passing of the late "Bill" Adrian was a severe blow to the many friends he had made during his stay in the North, particularly in Innisfail, where he was well known for his quiet unobtrusive manner. He was prominent in activities with the Presbyterian Church, and for a short while he was a member of the innisfail Memorial School of Arts Committee.
Deceased was particularly active as a teacher in Sunday school. He was very keen on flying, starting as a boy in Longreach. He was subsequently transferred to Innisfail, and stayed there from early 1935 until late in 1937.
He lived for a while in Cairns, and was then promoted to the Queensland National Bank at Babinda from where he enlisted early last year.
The late Flying Officer W. Adrian was well known in Cairns. The news of the tragedy was a great shock to his many friends here, particularly at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, where he was an honoured member of the Sunday School teaching staff".
DH.89A A33-2 was Struck off charge 30.7.41.
Sources:
1. https://www.ab-ix.co.uk/pdfs/dh89.pdf
2. http://www.adf-gallery.com.au//2a33.shtml
3. Cairns Post, (Cairns, Queensland) Monday 23 June 1941, Page 3: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/42274776
4. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh89-dragon-rapide-cootamundra-1-killed
5. http://www.goodall.com.au/australian-aviation/dh89/dh89.htm
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_VH-U1.html
7. http://www.afleetingpeace.org/index.php/15-aeroplanes/84-register-australia
8. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1704888
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Dec-2011 21:06 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 04-Apr-2013 08:34 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Narrative] |
| 18-Feb-2019 23:49 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 19-Mar-2019 16:11 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
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