Cootamundra Airport is a small airport in
Cootamundra
Cootamundra, nicknamed Coota, is a town in the South West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia and within the Riverina. It is within the Cootamundra-Gundagai Regional Council. At the 2016 Census, Cootamundra had a population of 6,782. ...
,
New South Wales,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. The airport is also the venue for the annual GTR Challenge and Drag Battle motorsport event.
History
With the implementation of an
airmail service between Australia and Britain, owing to its location on the
Main Southern railway line midway between
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
and
Melbourne and proximity to
Canberra
Canberra ( )
is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
, Cootamundra was chosen as the southern terminus. The airfield became the initial base for
Butler Air Transport
Butler Air Transport was an Australian airline founded by C. Arthur Butler to operate air transport primarily among New South Wales airports in Australia, from 1934 until 1959. , established as an airmail contractor in 1934 to operate a section of the route between Cootamundra and
Charleville, providing connection to
Qantas services between
Brisbane and
Darwin
Darwin may refer to:
Common meanings
* Charles Darwin (1809–1882), English naturalist and writer, best known as the originator of the theory of biological evolution by natural selection
* Darwin, Northern Territory, a territorial capital city i ...
. The company relocated its base to Sydney in 1938 following the withdrawal of the airmail contract.
From 1991 to 2002 Country Connection Airlines offered regional flights from Cootamundra to Sydney, as well as to many other regional locations such as West Wyalong, Cowra, Forbes and Young.
RAAF Station Cootamundra
Cootamundra was chosen as a station for No. 1 Air Observers School and No. 2 Recruit Depot during
World War II. Numbers
60 and
73 Squadrons also operated from the base. Following the cessation of hostilities the airfield reverted to civilian use.
Accidents and incidents
* On 25 June 2001, an
Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante operated by
Airtex Aviation
Avtex Air Services Pty Ltd, trading as Airtex Aviation, was an Australian air charter company with its head office at Bankstown Airport, Sydney. Formed in 1982, the company operated passenger and freight air charter services, as well as air s ...
on a charter flight from
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
to
Griffith
Griffith may refer to:
People
* Griffith (name)
* Griffith (surname)
* Griffith (given name)
Places Antarctica
* Mount Griffith, Ross Dependency
* Griffith Peak (Antarctica), Marie Byrd Land
* Griffith Glacier, Marie Byrd Land
* Griffith Rid ...
suffered an engine fire en route. Believing the fire to be extinguished after taking initial action, the pilot elected to land at
Young Airport
Young Airport is an airport serving Young, New South Wales, Australia. It is located northwest of Young and operated by Hilltops Council.
Facilities
The airport resides at an elevation of above sea level. It has one runway designated 01/19 ...
. On finding Young under fog, the pilot diverted to Cootamundra. Between the towns, the aircraft cabin filled with smoke from the fire which had flared up again in the engine nacelle. During the emergency landing, only the aircraft's right main landing gear extended and the aircraft skidded to a stop on grass next to the runway. The pilot and all 8 passengers evacuated safely, however the investigation revealed delays in the emergency response to the accident, including an Ambulance that was initially unable to access the airfield as the emergency gate was locked.
See also
*
List of airports in New South Wales
References
Airports in New South Wales
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