If anyone can help I am trying to find a copy of an Italian Report into the fatal crash of Puss Moth CF-APK in the Appenine Mountains in Italy in January 1933. The crash resulted in the death of Pioneer Australian Aviator Bert Hinkler.
Any information would be appreciated.
I am also interested in any Bert Hinkler memorabilia that anyone may have for sale. Books, magazines, autographs, letters etc.
Also interested in autographs/signatures of British Pilots/Test Pilots John Boothman, Hubert Broad, Humphrey Edwardes-Jones, Augustus Orlebar, Leonard Snaith, Sammy Wroath, Mutt Summers etc
Thank you for any assistance that you are able to provide.
I have the original hard cover version and the later paperback with some updated information on the fatal crash.
I also have a copy of "ARC R & M 1699 Report on Puss Moth Accidents" which refers to an Italian Investigation into the crash. I have been looking for a copy of this Italian Investigation for many years but have not been able to locate a copy.
There is also a book by Ted Wixted called "The Last Flight of Bert Hinkler" which suggests Hinkler was murdered when someone tampered with the propeller of the Puss Moth. I do not agree with his theory.
Thanks again for your reply and helpful suggestion.
I'm not able to help, but with apologies for a very slight drift in thread....
Was it true that Hinkler survived the crash only to die of hypothermia? If so, it's always struck me as spoky that Neil Williams also survived crashing his He-111 en route UK from Spain, again only to succumb to the cold.
Part of the problem with any investigation into this crash is that the crash occurred on the 7th of January 1933 and the wreckage was not found until April of that year.
His body had significant head injuries but the suggestion is that he walked some distance from the wreckage and lay on the ground where he was later found.
There is no real way of knowing whether the injuries sustained in the crash were survivable.
I have found reference to the report in other documentation but have never been able to find a copy (in any language).
I am assuming that the people responsible for the report into the 9 Puss Moth crashes had access to a copy as they quoted from it in their report.
Crash occurred on the 7th of January 1933 in the Appenines in Italy. The aircraft was a Puss Moth with Canadian Registration CF-APK. The pilot was Herbert John Louis (Bert) Hinkler who was Australian by birth but was living in the UK at the time. The wreckage was found by charcoal gatherers in April 1933.
Sorry for thread drift, but to answer my own question, I have just come across this from the AAIB report of the accident that killed Neil Williams. It states that he was killed instantly. There is evidence that at the time both engines were developing power. The aircraft had broken up on impact and then caught fire. All four occupants were killed instantly. No evidence was found of any pre-crash failure or defect on the aircraft. The pilot had considerable experience of flying the Heinkel 111 on ferry flights, and had previously flown the type from Madrid to the UK. 3 3
In 1974 I visited Mount Pratomagno, Italy, in the company of the Arezzo Aero Club (then) President, Prince Amedeo di Savioa, and one of the carbon collectors who found Bert Hinkler's remain in April 1933. I was shown where he attempted to land his Puss Moth and where he died, some 80 metres down the mountainside from his demolished aircraft.
Bert obviously walked or crawled that distance.
Together with Prince Amedeo, we marked both spots with markers. They may still be there.
I have long been associated with Bert Hinkler, and still have connections with the Bert Hinkler Museum in Bundaberg Queensland. This connection came out of my friendship with Ted Wixted, a great Australian
There is no doubt that Bert was attempting a crash landing. He did not fly into the mountain through error.
Compelling evidence exists showing that one of his propellers broke off in flight. By any measure, an extraordinary event. The events which followed surrounding his funeral and his personal affairs were equally extraordinary and give rise to the view that his crash was not unexpected by certain people.
What was equally unexpected however was that Mussolini would accord Bert a State Funeral. His remains are in a Florence cemetry.
I am at present working with a retired Air Crash Investigator to establish the definitive cause of the crash. It has been suggested that the propeller of the Puss Moth was tampered with and that a blade of the propeller was ejected from the hub.The makers of the propeller are of the opinion that it would not be possible for a blade to be ejected from the hub.
The photographic evidence and all other available evidence suggests that a wing came off the aircraft as a result of flutter.
There is a report from the 1930's which includes the crash of CF-APK as one of 9 instances where a wing came off a Puss Moth Aircraft due to flutter.
The Italian Investigation which is referred to in the report mentioned previously also states a wing came off the aircraft.
I might add that both propeller blades were found at the scene and are shown in photos of the wreckage.
If a blade were ejected, the forces on the engine would tear it from its mounts.
I will be happy to post the results of my investigation when they are complete.
Regards, Ian.
Last edited by ian.whalley; 28th Jun 2010 at 06:50.
Still looking for a copy of the Italian Investigation/Report into the fatal crash of Puss Moth CF-APK in the Appenine Mountains Italy in January 1933 that reuslted in the death of Australian Aviator Bert Hinkler.
I recently visited the Hinkler Hall of Aviation in Bundaberg, Queensland.
Still looking for a copy of the report on the Italian Investigation into the crash of Hinkler's Puss Moth CF-APK if anyone can help.The Italian Report is quoted in a British Report on 9 Puss Moth crashes (CF-APK is one of the 9).
Does anyone have details on the relevant Government Department which may have the archives that relate to this report?
I will be happy to post the results of my investigation when they are complete.
Regards, Ian.
Most helpful if you can. I'm familiar with all the published works of Wixted, Mackenzie, Bettiens and some lesser chroniclers of the Hinkler story. What I would dearly like to know is whether there are any useful resources and archives apart from what is held in the Queensland Museum library and at Bundaberg in the Hinkler archive there.
The Mackenzie biography was in some ways a disappointment, for I feel the author failed to reveal the true heart and soul of his subject. On the more practical, functional side, Hinkler's greatest contribution to the advancement of aviation was the manner in which he showed the world convincingly that by 1928 the light aircraft was capable of proving it's safety, reliability, ease of maintenance, usefulness and for many it's affordability.
When in Australia in 1928, after accomplishing his record breaking solo flight from England in sixteen days ("Hinkle, Hinkle, little star, sixteen days and here you are" as Punch magazine had it in a full page cartoon)
our man spared no effort in promoting the light aeroplane. He recorded on both sides of a gramaphone record his advice to the nation about flying as it was then, and his predictions. It is rivetting listening, (even though he mispronounces Hargrave in his rapid fire monologue.)
This should find the audio clip, accessing one side of the recording..-
I am at present working with a retired Air Crash Investigator to establish the definitive cause of the crash. It has been suggested that the propeller of the Puss Moth was tampered with and that a blade of the propeller was ejected from the hub.The makers of the propeller are of the opinion that it would not be possible for a blade to be ejected from the hub.
The photographic evidence and all other available evidence suggests that a wing came off the aircraft as a result of flutter.
Interesting - I've never bought the prop blade explanation either. I also feel the wreckage in the crash site photos was far too mangled & "pancaked" to be the result of a forced landing attempt - especially from a pilot of Hinkler's experience. However - if a the wing did seperate, Hinkler is unlikely to have survived the following uncontrolled spiral into the ground, so perhaps the distance between his body and the aircraft can be explained by him being "flung" or ejected on the way down. I would also be very interested in seeing your completed report Ian :-)
Fatal crash of Puss Moth CF-APK Italy 1933
