1953 accident Sea Fury hits Tiger Moth

[Centaurus]

This happened at Wagga NSW in 1953. The Tiger Moth pilot survived to tell the tale.

Jackson1 (http://www.busseltonaeroclub.com.au/jackson1.html)

[Homesick-Angel]

A few years ago while I was on holiday in Margaret river, I got the itch to go for a fly and ended up at busseltown, and noticed an aged gentleman struggling into a sportstar. Turns out it was the same fella still instructing! I'd heard the story of this from someone else only months before. Below is the news article from the next day..
I hope I'm still able and willing at his age.

NAVAL AIRMAN KILLED
IN MID-AIR CRASH
WAGGA, Sunday.
A naval pilot was killed
when his Sea Fury, fighter col-
lided with a Tiger Moth in
mid-air above Forest Hills air-
field to-day.
The pilot of the Tiger Moth
climbed unaided from the
wreckage of his plane. He
suffered only a dislocated
shoulder and shock
The dead pilot was Lieuten-
ant - Commander Reginald
Albert Wild, D.F.C., R.A.N.,
of Nowra, New South Wales.
Lieutenant - Commander Wild
was married and had two young
children.
The pilot of the Tiger Moth
was air force technical appren
tice , Richard Jackson, of the
Forest Hills R.A.A.F. station.
The planes collided 200 feet
from the ground, about 10.20
a.m.
Lieutenant - Commander Wild
was leading a formation of four
other Sea, Furzes which had
taken off from the airfield a few
minutes earlier.
"The Sea Furies had left the
field to do cross country exer-
cises.
The Sea Furies were making
their second flight across the air-
field when Lieutenant-Com-
mander Wild's plane collided with
the Tiger Moth, which had taken
off after the Sea Furies.
Part of the fuselage of the Sea
Fury fell to the ground.
Lieutenant - Commander Wild
attempted to make a forced land-
ing, but he appeared to lose con-
trol of the plane, which crashed
into trees about two miles from
the airfield.
Lieutenant - Commander Wild
was dead when rescuers reached
the plane.
The Tiger Moth crashed on to
the airfield and broke into three
parts.
Jackson climbed from the
cockpit and waited for rescuers
to arrive..
An ambulance' took him to
Wagga Base Hospital, where he
was admitted.
R.A.A.F. and civil aviation
authorities will hold an inquiry
into the crash.
Lieut.-Commander Wild- was
commanding officer of No. 850
Sea Fury squadron of the
R.A.N. He served in H.M.A.S.
Sydney, when the carrier was in
Korean waters in 1951-52, and
was a member of the R.A.A.F.
in World War II.

[greybeard]

Dick is a legend in his own right, managed to impart an Instructors rating into my head in 1966/7 at Civils in Jandakot.

Long history of Civils, Skywest and now Busselton.

Hope he is fit and well.

:ok:

[Dora-9]

I concur!

Dick (and wife Cath) took me under their wing when I was a very gauche young man posing as an instructor at Civils at Jandakot - he became CFI there in 1967(ish).

A really good guy.

Last seen about 10 years ago, seeming looking very well indeed.

[DBTW]

What an amazing story about survival in such an extreme circumstance. A tragedy for Lt Cdr Wild and his family, but an extremely lucky escape for R Jackson.

Of course the other part of the story is that news reporting has been dreadful forever...Wild was CO of 850 Squadron? Not in our Navy he wasn't. 805 Squadron flew Sea Furies...

I know mixing up digits is an easy mistake...and as the news hounds say, the facts don't alter the nature of the message. Even so, in those days, you'd think that when there were only 2 frontline Sea Fury Squadrons (805 and 808) they would manage to get the numbers right?