Ha - very interesting and it looks like some magicians are as snarky as some pilots :)
Why else would you want to bring this up from the depths of obscurity...
Anyway Jasper didn't appear to have inherited much of his predecessors talents as when he got me to shut down an engine in an Aztec even he couldn't get it started again :):)

Not rumour, fact. Bones lives in COVID Country (Victoria). Easy to find him on Facebook - look for the "Talair" page or the "I used to live in Papua New Guinea (PNG)" page. Shaggs doesn't do Facebook but lives on the Gold Coast. Big Foot is on Facebook.

Wondering if Heliniugini is still operating. Web page keeps coming up expired. Thought it was bought by Steamies

Hopefully it is just a glitch with their ISP.
They are actively trying to shed MIL8, Bell 206, Bell 205 and a BK as a minimum.
Not sure if they have any 'active' contracts at present.
Finger crossed they survive the Covid and Resources down turn.

Kaput adjacent probably describes it in modernspeak!

A request for any information on a pilot chap by the name of Gavin Hosking killed in a in country crash, no idea of year or anything else, would have been in his mid seventies now, or there about, had he survived.

Just bringing the thread to the top ....

Gavin Hosking
 

Megan the name is familiar, was he flying for one of the churches in the 70’s?

Law, all I know is he died in an aviation accident.

Megan,

From Balus Vol II, page 255...

Cessna C206, VH-EFO, owned and operated by the Lutheran Mission Aviation Service, crashed at LAE airport, killing the pilot and two passengers.

The pilot, Gavin Hoskin, aged 29, held a commercial licence but had only 581 hours flying experience. He was bound for Menyamya with two passengers, Mrs. Cristel Horndasch and her son Wilfred, aged seven.
The takeoff appeared normal but shortly after climbing over the end of the runway the Cessna engine faltered, and began to fail. Hoskins was at a height of approx 152 metres and he requested permission to land.
He put the Cessna into a banked turn, the engine coughing and missing. The angle of bank increased sharply, the nose dropped. The Cessna crashed into the ground 730 metres from a shopping centre and primary school.

The investigation discovered the engine fuel pump settings were incorrectly set, although this could not be concluded as the cause of the accident.

...

I was working in Lae at the time and was asked by DCA to assist them with their investigation. The aircraft crashed close to a house and a wheel came off, rocketed through a corridor in the house and struck a resident in the head. He died shortly after. I believe that "Doc" Whitburn and Herbie Ray carried out the investigation.

Megan,

This photo, via Geoff Goodall, was taken at Perth Airport in October 1969.
The aircraft was just over a year old at the time, having been imported in August `1968 through distributors Rex Aviation. It had several owners before moving to New Guinea to join the Lutheran Mission at Goroka in Feb 1971.
It crashed near Lae, PNG on 13 March 1974. It appears the aircraft suffered a power loss on take off and spun into a nearby gold course.

Thank you all for your input, anyone know if there is an official accident report available?

I doubt if any reports available now; the accident was pre-independence;
DCA has changed location more than once since then
The accident happened at the same time there was a spate of prangs over a few months.I have no factual basis, but I would suggest long gone.

Megan,

If you feel like coughing up for the search fee (about $16 per file the last time I requested a file), the accident report is in two files at the National Archive.
Look for 6/748/1007 PART 1 and Part 2 at www.naa.gov.au > go to Explore the Collection tab > click on blue RecordSearch button in the drop down.

Megan thanks to Kagamuga’s input I can recall the events leading to the crash. I was on duty as the SFS in the FSU as Gavin was rolling. The aircraft had a rough running motor. So much so that on hearing it I dived outside standing beside the runway and watched the tragic accident unfold. I could not understand why Gavin didn’t abort as he had plenty of room. I subsequently visited the crash site with “Doc” Whitburn, our next door neighbour back in Adelaide and an old friend who was the ASI assigned, and discussed it with him. Very sad. The aircraft crashed into a backyard off the threshold and was resting nose down with one wing draped over the boi haus. It was reported but not fact checked, the houseboy went to ANGAU Hospital but was sent home with some aspirin and subsequently died.

Aviation Safety Network record: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/229587

That’s it in a nutshell tail wheel.

I vaguely recall that accident. Should have landed straight ahead onto the golf course of into the Gulf. A few other aircraft ended up in the Gulf or Golf course over the years. Even Qantas put a Drover into the Gulf with a load of gold on board. Allegedly.......

For you TW,


C/n 5003 Mk.1 G-ALLK, VH-EBQ
50 Built by De Havilland Aircraft Pty Ltd at Bankstown Airport, Sydney NSW. C/n 5003
First production Drover
Planned to be delivered to the parent DH company for a sales drive in Britain and Europe. However production was so delayed it was diverted to Qantas to be the first of their order for 7 new Drovers 31.3.49 Registered G-ALLK De Havilland Aircraft Co Ltd, Hatfield UK. Not imported. Registration cancelled 16.10.50 1.9.50 First flight Bankstown 13.9.50 Registered VH-EBQ Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, Sydney NSW 13.9.50 CofA issued. Fitted with 12 folding passenger seats which could be easily removed for cargo use. 13.9.50 DHA quoted delivery date to Qantas 9.50 Ferried from Sydney to Lae. where QEA will base all its Drovers on QEA New Guinea Internal Services 6.1.51 DCA Aircraft inspection report: total flying time 183 hours mid 51 Ferried from New Guinea to Bankstown for maintenance including modification of the windscreen wipers to improve their effectiveness 16.7.51 Crashed in sea off Lae, New Guinea.
While operating a scheduled airline service from Wau to Bulolo and Lae, crashed in Huon Gulf, 4 miles south of Lae Aerodrome while attempting to land at Lae in low cloud and rain. Captain J. W. Spiers and 6 passengers were killed.

DCA Accident report: “The aircraft departed Bulolo at 0835 hours local time with one pilot and six passengers. 31 Minutes later the pilot reported over the mouth of the Markham River, about three minutes out from Lae Aerodrome. At this time there was continuous rain in the area with visiballity at the aerodrome reduced to two miles. Nothing further was heard from the aircraft and pieces of wreckage and two bodies were recovered from the sea south of Lae at noon the same day. There were no survivors.”
The initial finding of investigation by DCA and QEA was pilot error in that Spiers continued the VFR flight into reduced visibility in low cloud and rain. The wreckage salvaged included the centre propeller which was missing blade. This was assumed to be caused by impact with the sea.

However after the ditching of VH-DHA 16.4.52, renewed Investigation revealed that the missing centre propeller blade had suffered structural failure and broke away in flight, causing the engine to pull out of its mountings and the pilot to lost control and the aircraft struck the sea. 5.5.52 Struck-off Register