The 1948 ''Lutana'' crash occurred on 2 September 1948 near Nundle,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, when the '' Lutana'', a Douglas DC-3 operated by

Australian National Airways Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s. The Holyman's Airways period On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.I ...

, crashed into high terrain en route from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

to Sydney, killing all 13 on board. A judicial enquiry by a Supreme Court Judge determined that the crash was caused by errors in radio navigation equipment used by the pilot to navigate the route from Brisbane to Sydney. One of the passengers was

Margaret McIntyre Margaret Edgeworth David McIntyre, (28 November 1886 – 2 September 1948) was the first woman elected to the Parliament of Tasmania, representing the seat of Cornwall in the Legislative Council. Life and career McIntyre was born in Maitla ...

, the first woman elected to the Parliament of Tasmania.

Flight

On 2 September 1948, the '' Lutana'' departed

's airport on a scheduled flight to Sydney. About 280

nautical miles A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude. Today t ...

(520 km) south of Brisbane it crashed into rising terrain in the

North West Slopes The North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, refers generally to the area west of the Northern Tablelands, to the north of the Central West region and to the east of the Far West region. Despite its name, the region is in north- ...

of Australia's Great Dividing Range, due to an erroneously determined position based on errors in the navigational equipment the pilots relied upon for determining a safe course through the rising terrain."AIRLINER FROM BRISBANE MISSING"
''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' – 3 September 1948, p.1 (National Library of Australia) Retrieved 6 July 2015"Court Says Directional Aids Misled Lutana's Pilot"
'' The Argus'' – 25 November 1948, p.7 (National Library of Australia) Retrieved 6 July 2015

Inquiry

1948 Australian National Airways DC-3 crash site

An Air Court of Inquiry was conducted by Judge William Simpson of the

Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory The Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory is the highest court of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It has unlimited jurisdiction within the territory in civil matters and hears the most serious criminal matters. The court ha ...

, and two assessors, E. J. Bowen, Sci. D, PhD; and Captain L. M. Diprose, chief pilot of Associated Airlines, nominated by the Australian Pilots Association. The inquiry report, released 17 November 1948, found the pilot, Captain J. A. Drummond, to be a "pilot of more than ordinary ability," and led to a reorganisation of the Department of Civil Aviation’s system of

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...

. The inquiry found that the

probable cause In United States criminal law, probable cause is the standard by which police authorities have reason to obtain a warrant for the arrest of a suspected criminal or the issuing of a search warrant. There is no universally accepted definition o ...

of the crash was interference with the aeroplane's

magnetic compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

due to a nearby electrical storm and a temporary defect in the navigational signals sent by the Government-maintained Kempsey

low-frequency radio range The low-frequency radio range, also known as the four-course radio range, LF/MF four-course radio range, A-N radio range, Adcock radio range, or commonly "the range", was the main Radio navigation, navigation system used by aircraft for instrument ...

station, an important navigational aid to flights in the area. The inquiry also identified errors and deficiencies in the aeronautical charts used to navigate the mountainous area. Australia's then Air Minister,

Arthur Drakeford Arthur Samuel Drakeford (26 April 1878 – 9 June 1957) was an Australian politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1934 to 1955, representing the Labor Party. He served as Minister for Air and Minister for Civil ...

, objected to the findings of the inquiry, stating that the lack of definitive evidence in the report rendered its findings "inconclusive," and that the assertion that the Kempsey range station malfunctioned temporarily was "difficult to believe."

References

Bibliography

* Fyshwick, Australia. pp. 200. {{DEFAULTSORT:Australian National Airways DC-3 crash Australian National Airways accidents and incidents Aviation accidents and incidents in New South Wales 1948 in Australia Lutana crash Airliner accidents and incidents caused by instrument failure Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain Accidents and incidents involving the Douglas DC-3 1940s in New South Wales September 1948 events in Australia 1948 disasters in Australia

Flight

Inquiry

See also

References

Bibliography