Info wanted Tiger Moth fatal crash Canegrass Station S.A. 1940-60

[Centaurus]

Appreciate any help on this one. During the period 1940-1960 a family named the Radfords owned a South Australian property called "Canegrass."

On one Christmas Day one of the Radford family took two (2) small children for a joy flight in a Tiger Moth and subsequently crashed killing the occupants. If it wasn't from Canegrass it would have been one of the properties in the area.

The request for info comes from people who are organising a big Canegrass celebration in 2009 and who are researching everything they can pull together (good and bad).

[davomalo]

Sorry for a belated entry from the original post as I have just noticed it.

The accident from my recollection occoured on Canoupus Station..near Morgan on New Years Day 1966. The aircraft was not a tiger moth, but a Cessna which crashed immediately after takeoff., killing the pilot (David Tiver?)..and 4 teenage passengers...David and Bill Radford (who lived at Canegrass Station)...and a brother(Peter?) and sister with surname of Daniel..whom I believe lived in the area at the time.
I was at a boarding school at the time and knew the Radford boys.

Hope this information may help...unfortunately too late for the Canegrass Renunion.

[Desert Flower]

The accident from my recollection occoured on Canoupus Station..near Morgan

Canopus station is 62 miles north of Renmark. Canegrass station is east of Burra.

DF.

[Desert Flower]

The aircraft was not a tiger moth, but a Cessna

From some inquiries I have made you could be right there. I believe it was a C175. The pilot was Russell Tiver.

DF.

[RobertH]

I believe Canopus Station was originally part of Canegrass Station and adjoins it to the east. David Radford told me before he sold the property in the late 1970s that the death of their sons in the crash was the reason for the sale.

[anne173]

My father lived in the area at Morgan Vale Station years earlier and was a close friend of the Radfords. I remember the accident..I was only quite young....I have been searching for info on the crash...thanks to those who know about it.

If anyone has info/pictures of Morgan Vale and rurrounding stations, please post.

[Tony_Newman]

I have read the information with interest as Peter and Janne Daniel were cousins of mine. They boarded in Adelaide during their secondary schooling. Janne was around my age and Peter, whilst younger, attended the same school as I did. We saw quite a lot of them during their schooling in Adelaide. Their loss was very distressing.

The information that I have from the SA death records is that the pilot was Russell Tiver aged 23.

The passengers were

David Radford aged 15

William Radford aged 12.

Both of them had an address of Canegrass Station, but they are noted as having died at Canopus Station.

Janne Daniel aged 15 and

Peter aged 12 from our family records, although their ages are different of the death records that we have seen.

Their address was Kulpara.

Jack and Shirley (Janne and Peter's parents) were also devastated following the crash. We have lost track of them.

My memory is that the Daniel family had gone to the Riverland to stay with the Radford family over Christmas. A decision was made for all the children to go off on a "joy-flight" which ended tragically for all 3 families.

If anyone wishes to share any other information about this, feel free to contact me.

Tony Newman
[email protected]

[Tony_Newman]

I have recently received some new information in relation to this thread from someone who was a friend of Russell Tiver.

He tells me as follows:-
"Russell became interested in flying when his older sister was friendly with a crop duster. The Tiver family bought a Cessner 175 which is much the same as the 172 and it had a larger and heavier gear box which was not all that successful and soon after Cessna discontinuing production of it.

I believe it was News Years, very hot when they decided to do the joy flight. I believe that Russel took off and did not get sufficient altitude before he banked the aircraft not taking account of the very hot day. The accident was close to the homestead and when the families rushed to the crash site it appeared all were dead in the aircraft and it quickly developed into a fire ball. Reports that I have was fuel was just poring out of the broken wing and there was no possible way to get close to the wreckage when it burse into flames.
I believe the Cessna was about five years old.

My conclusion, that due to the hot day Russel struck some thin air and lost control in the banking move."

[aroa]

Old Safety Digest may have the story....
Vague memories of reading same or similar..
Was it a steep turn after a 'beat up' ?
Youthful exuberance can lead to fatal consequences.
RIP them all.

[RobertH]

The following is taken from D.C.A. Crash Reports 1956 to1968:
"Control was lost during a steeply banked turn atlow altitude. The aircraft struck the ground and was destroyed by fire."
http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/Downloads/DCA%20Accident%20Reports%201956-1968.pdf (http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/Downloads/DCA%20Accident%20Reports%201956-1968.pdf).Note that Canopus is NW of Mildura, not NE as indicated in this report.

The plane was originally registered in the USA. It was exportedto Australia and registered here on 27 May 1959. See https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=156665 (https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=156665)and
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=7187M (http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=7187M).The date of manufacture is not stated.

[Givelda]

It was reported in ASD September, 1966