Open/Close Toolbox
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 New Zealand License
Format: Photograph
Linked To
Location (city or town)
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 New Zealand LicenseThis licence lets you remix, tweak, and build upon our work even for commercial purposes, as long as you credit us and license your new creations under the identical terms. All new works based on ours will carry the same licence; so any derivatives will also allow commercial use.
Menu
Blackball man killed in Akaroa plane crash
Expand/collapse
About this image
DescriptionTWO AIRMEN KILLED
Crash at Akaroa RESIDENTS ESCAPE FROM BURNING SHOPS When a Royal New Zealand Air Force Airspeed Oxford monoplane crashed in the middle of the township of Akaroa at 11.30 on Saturday morning, the two members of the crew were killed instantly, and several inhabitants had miraculous escapes from injury. The men killed were:— Leading Aircraftsman F. M. McFarlane, aged 24 years, of Nelson, a married man. Leading Aircraftsman J. L. McFadyen, aged 22 years, of Blackball, West Coast. The machine crashed at-ihe intersection of Lavaud street and Cross street, and burst immediately into flames, setting fire to the surrounding buildings, from which the occupants escaped before the fire had obtained a strong hold. The fierce heat of the explosion of the petrol tanks burnt the wreckage of the machine to ruins in a minute or two. There was no sign of the crew. The fire brigade, which arrived on the scene only five minutes later, was unable to save the tobacconist’s shop on one corner of the intersection, of which only the charred walls were left standing. Five men, one of whom was in the chair, being shaved by the proprietor of the shop, Mr A. J. Brown, escaped in time, after an engine from the machine had crashed through two floors of the building. Two Girls Suffer Burns Two small girls, Valmai Dann, aged 12, a daughter of Mr George Dann, and Natalie Ramsay, aged 14, a daughter of Mr Walter Ramsay, were in the street only 20 to 30 yards from the crash. They were both burned on the face, arms, and legs, and suffered from shock. Valmai Dann was taken to the Akaroa Hospital for treatment by Dr. W. Edginton. The whole scene for a time was a mass of flames and black smoke shooting high into the air. The aeroplane, which was a twinengined machine, first appeared from the south, flying up Akaroa Harbour from the-heads. It passed across the c golf links, situated on a plateau running up from the centre of the town, passing some golfers at a height of between 100 and 200 feet above the course. Both engines were running although the aeroplane was travelling at not more than 70 or 80 miles an hour. It then banked and turned to the left down Grehan valley, and over the town, appearing to lose some height and as if the pilot were searching for some emergency landing place, possibly the fairway at the second hole, a long ridge of about 300 yards. When the machine was over the town it turned and banked even more steeply, until the wings were almost on a vertical plane. The machine sideslipped almost immediately, fell into a vertical power dive from about 500 feet, spinning as it descended. Engine Falls Through Building It crashed on the centre of Cross street, just off the intersection of Lavaud street, the main thoroughfare of Akaroa, striking and knocking oyer the chimney of the two-storeyed house, occcupied by Mr A. E. Kingston, with Mr Brown’s tobacconist’s shop on .the ground, floor. An engine was detached and crashed through both floors, and when the machine struck the ground the petrol tank blew up, and almost immediately both the aeroplane and the shop were enveloped in fierce flames. The flames licked across the road to the shop of Mr R. C. S. Stewart, chemist, on the opposite corner, one wall of which was badly burned, and to the branch office of Messrs Meares, Williams, and Holmes, across Lavaud street. Both these buildings, however, were saved. Narrow Escape No residents .of Akaroa were injured except the two young girls who received minor burns. Apart from the men in Mr Brown’s shop one of those who most narrowly escaped was Mrs Kingston. She was looking out of the downstairs windows of the building first struck by,the machine, when the engine which had crashed through the building fell within 10 feet of her, and the blast of the explosion left her dazed and bruised on the floor. She was rescued by Mr Kingston, who waded through a creek and entered the building by a back window. The aeroplane crashed within 20 feet of Mrs R. S. C. Stewart, who was holding up her baby boy to see it come over. The baby’s room, from which he had just been taken, was turned into a furnace by the sheets of flame from the explosion. Mr W, Ramsay, father of one ,of the injured girls, whose home is next to the office of Meares, Williams, and Holmes, was able to warn his wife to leave the house. !He later played a garden hose on the office, from which Miss Dorothy Leete escaped by a back window. He was able to prevent the fire in the building from getting under way. Bricks, shattered metal,. and charred and twisted aeroplane parts were strewn for some 40 yards along the streets in all directions. Excellent work was done by the Akaroa Volunteer Fire Brigade, which arrived five minutes after the crash and trained three leads of hose on to the buildings. Mr Brown’s shop was a total loss, but the back of the building was practically undamaged. Mr Stewart lost stock to the value of about £2OO, but damage to the building was slight. The impact of the crash was felt like a small earthquake a quarter of a mile away. The scene in the barber’s shop was described by Mr Brown, who said that 10 seconds after the shop was struck everything was a mass of flames. Two, helmets were seen amid the tangled wreckage, but there was not a sign of movement in the machine. Airman Seen on Wing A woman who watched the machine through a binocular as it was approaching said that she saw one of the crew climb out of the cockpit and crawl along the wing to one of the 1 engines. The fires were completely under control by 12.30. Another Air Force machine flew over the scene shortly after the crash, and a party of officers arrived about 1.30 and began to make investigations. The remains of the men were not recovered till after 2 s p.m. An inquest was opened in the city for identification yesterday. Wing Commander G. S. Hodson. Officer Commanding Wigram aerol drome, said that a court of inquiry 1 would be held to-day.
Papers Past
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=CHP19400617.2.45&cl=search&srpos=8&e=-------10-CHP-1----0McFadyen+Akaroa--&st=1Date of PhotoBetween 1st January 1940 and 31st December 1940Map[1]
Crash at Akaroa RESIDENTS ESCAPE FROM BURNING SHOPS When a Royal New Zealand Air Force Airspeed Oxford monoplane crashed in the middle of the township of Akaroa at 11.30 on Saturday morning, the two members of the crew were killed instantly, and several inhabitants had miraculous escapes from injury. The men killed were:— Leading Aircraftsman F. M. McFarlane, aged 24 years, of Nelson, a married man. Leading Aircraftsman J. L. McFadyen, aged 22 years, of Blackball, West Coast. The machine crashed at-ihe intersection of Lavaud street and Cross street, and burst immediately into flames, setting fire to the surrounding buildings, from which the occupants escaped before the fire had obtained a strong hold. The fierce heat of the explosion of the petrol tanks burnt the wreckage of the machine to ruins in a minute or two. There was no sign of the crew. The fire brigade, which arrived on the scene only five minutes later, was unable to save the tobacconist’s shop on one corner of the intersection, of which only the charred walls were left standing. Five men, one of whom was in the chair, being shaved by the proprietor of the shop, Mr A. J. Brown, escaped in time, after an engine from the machine had crashed through two floors of the building. Two Girls Suffer Burns Two small girls, Valmai Dann, aged 12, a daughter of Mr George Dann, and Natalie Ramsay, aged 14, a daughter of Mr Walter Ramsay, were in the street only 20 to 30 yards from the crash. They were both burned on the face, arms, and legs, and suffered from shock. Valmai Dann was taken to the Akaroa Hospital for treatment by Dr. W. Edginton. The whole scene for a time was a mass of flames and black smoke shooting high into the air. The aeroplane, which was a twinengined machine, first appeared from the south, flying up Akaroa Harbour from the-heads. It passed across the c golf links, situated on a plateau running up from the centre of the town, passing some golfers at a height of between 100 and 200 feet above the course. Both engines were running although the aeroplane was travelling at not more than 70 or 80 miles an hour. It then banked and turned to the left down Grehan valley, and over the town, appearing to lose some height and as if the pilot were searching for some emergency landing place, possibly the fairway at the second hole, a long ridge of about 300 yards. When the machine was over the town it turned and banked even more steeply, until the wings were almost on a vertical plane. The machine sideslipped almost immediately, fell into a vertical power dive from about 500 feet, spinning as it descended. Engine Falls Through Building It crashed on the centre of Cross street, just off the intersection of Lavaud street, the main thoroughfare of Akaroa, striking and knocking oyer the chimney of the two-storeyed house, occcupied by Mr A. E. Kingston, with Mr Brown’s tobacconist’s shop on .the ground, floor. An engine was detached and crashed through both floors, and when the machine struck the ground the petrol tank blew up, and almost immediately both the aeroplane and the shop were enveloped in fierce flames. The flames licked across the road to the shop of Mr R. C. S. Stewart, chemist, on the opposite corner, one wall of which was badly burned, and to the branch office of Messrs Meares, Williams, and Holmes, across Lavaud street. Both these buildings, however, were saved. Narrow Escape No residents .of Akaroa were injured except the two young girls who received minor burns. Apart from the men in Mr Brown’s shop one of those who most narrowly escaped was Mrs Kingston. She was looking out of the downstairs windows of the building first struck by,the machine, when the engine which had crashed through the building fell within 10 feet of her, and the blast of the explosion left her dazed and bruised on the floor. She was rescued by Mr Kingston, who waded through a creek and entered the building by a back window. The aeroplane crashed within 20 feet of Mrs R. S. C. Stewart, who was holding up her baby boy to see it come over. The baby’s room, from which he had just been taken, was turned into a furnace by the sheets of flame from the explosion. Mr W, Ramsay, father of one ,of the injured girls, whose home is next to the office of Meares, Williams, and Holmes, was able to warn his wife to leave the house. !He later played a garden hose on the office, from which Miss Dorothy Leete escaped by a back window. He was able to prevent the fire in the building from getting under way. Bricks, shattered metal,. and charred and twisted aeroplane parts were strewn for some 40 yards along the streets in all directions. Excellent work was done by the Akaroa Volunteer Fire Brigade, which arrived five minutes after the crash and trained three leads of hose on to the buildings. Mr Brown’s shop was a total loss, but the back of the building was practically undamaged. Mr Stewart lost stock to the value of about £2OO, but damage to the building was slight. The impact of the crash was felt like a small earthquake a quarter of a mile away. The scene in the barber’s shop was described by Mr Brown, who said that 10 seconds after the shop was struck everything was a mass of flames. Two, helmets were seen amid the tangled wreckage, but there was not a sign of movement in the machine. Airman Seen on Wing A woman who watched the machine through a binocular as it was approaching said that she saw one of the crew climb out of the cockpit and crawl along the wing to one of the 1 engines. The fires were completely under control by 12.30. Another Air Force machine flew over the scene shortly after the crash, and a party of officers arrived about 1.30 and began to make investigations. The remains of the men were not recovered till after 2 s p.m. An inquest was opened in the city for identification yesterday. Wing Commander G. S. Hodson. Officer Commanding Wigram aerol drome, said that a court of inquiry 1 would be held to-day.
Papers Past
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=CHP19400617.2.45&cl=search&srpos=8&e=-------10-CHP-1----0McFadyen+Akaroa--&st=1Date of PhotoBetween 1st January 1940 and 31st December 1940Map[1]
Shown in this image
Category Information
Category TagWar
From Facebook
CommentsNeil Martin:
Tim McFadyen was Bestman or Groomsman at my parents wedding when dad was in camp.
I found these two articles in my deceased fathers papers. Hopefully they can add some interest and put a face to the person concerned.
Tim McFadyen was Bestman or Groomsman at my parents wedding when dad was in camp.
I found these two articles in my deceased fathers papers. Hopefully they can add some interest and put a face to the person concerned.
Editing is temporarily disabled
Cancel Edit
Click on the image to add
a tag or press ESC to cancel
a tag or press ESC to cancel
West Coast New Zealand History (12th Mar 2017). Blackball man killed in Akaroa plane crash. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 4th Apr 2026 14:19, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/15174