1940 Brocklesby mid-air collision

Collision involving Royal Australian Air Force training aircraft June 2020 October 2019 1940 Brocklesby mid-air collision Two Avro Ansons (L9162 and N4876) "piggyback" in a paddock near Brocklesby 1.jpg 1.15 Side view of two military monoplanes lying wheels up on a field, one atop the other The Avro Ansons after landing safely, having collided in mid-air and locked together, 29 September 1940 Accident 29 September 1940 Mid-air collision Brocklesby, New South Wales, Australia 35 51 12 S 146 38 09 E type:event_region:AU-NSW inline,title 6 1 0 4 Avro Anson No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAAF N4876 RAAF Station Forest Hill, New South Wales Corowa, New South Wales 2 2 0 2 Avro Anson No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAAF L9162 RAAF Station Forest Hill, New South Wales Corowa, New South Wales 2 2 1 2 On 29 September 1940, a mid-air collision occurred over Brocklesby, New South Wales, Australia. The accident was unusual in that the aircraft involved, two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Avro Ansons of No. 2 Service Flying Training School, remained locked together after colliding, and then landed safely. The collision stopped the engines of the upper Anson, but those of the one underneath continued to run, allowing the aircraft to keep flying. The navigators of both aircraft and the pilot of the lower Anson bailed out. The pilot of the upper Anson found that he was able to control the interlocked aircraft with his ailerons and flaps, and made an emergency landing in a nearby paddock. All four crewmen survived the incident. The upper Anson was repaired and returned to flight service; the lower Anson was used as an instructional airframe. Training school and flight details thumb|left|260px|Ansons of No. 2 SFTS in formation|alt=Five twin-engined military monoplanes in flight, line abreast No. 2 Service Flying Training School (SFTS), based at RAAF Station Forest Hill near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, was one of several pilot training facilities formed in the early years of World War II as part of Australia's contribution to the Empire Air Training Scheme. After basic aeronautical instruction at an elementary flying training school, pupils went on to an SFTS to learn techniques they would require as operational (or "service") pilots, including instrument flying, night flying, cross-country navigation, advanced aerobatics, formation flying, dive bombing, and aerial gunnery. No. 2 SFTS's facilities were still under construction when its first course commenced on 29 July 1940. On 29 September 1940, two of the school's Avro Ansons took off from Forest Hill for a cross-country training exercise over southern New South Wales. Tail number N4876 was piloted by Leading Aircraftman Leonard Graham Fuller, 22, from Cootamundra, with Leading Aircraftman Ian Menzies Sinclair, 27, from Glen Innes, as navigator. Tail number L9162 was piloted by Leading Aircraftman Jack Inglis Hewson, 19, from Newcastle, with Leading Aircraftman Hugh Gavin Fraser, 27, from Melbourne, as navigator. Their planned route was expected to take them first to Corowa, then to Narrandera, then back to Forest Hill. left Collision and emergency landing left vertical 260 Two Avro Ansons (L9162 and N4876) "piggyback" in a paddock near Brocklesby 2.jpg Rear three-quarter view of two military monoplanes lying wheels down on a field, one atop the other The interlocked Ansons lying in a paddock WhenAnsonLandsOnAnson1940.jpg Two military monoplanes lying wheels down on a field, one atop the other Engines and forward sections of the two aircraft The Ansons were at an altitude of 300 m -2 over the township of Brocklesby, near Albury, when they made a banking turn. Fuller lost sight of Hewson's aircraft beneath him and the two Ansons collided amid what Fuller later described as a "grinding crash and a bang as roaring propellers struck each other and bit into the engine cowlings". The two aircraft remained jammed together, the lower Anson's turret wedged into the other's port wing root, and its fin and rudder balancing the upper Anson's port tailplane. Both of the upper aircraft's engines had been knocked out in the collision but those of the one below continued to turn at full power as the interlocked Ansons began to slowly circle. Fuller described the "freak combination" as "lumping along like a brick". He nevertheless found that he was able to control the piggybacking pair of aircraft with his ailerons and flaps, and began searching for a place to land. The two navigators, Sinclair and Fraser, bailed out, followed soon after by the lower Anson's pilot, Hewson, whose back had been injured when the spinning blades of the other aircraft sliced through his fuselage. Fuller travelled 8 km 0 after the collision, then successfully made an emergency belly landing in a large paddock 4 mi km 0 flip south-west of Brocklesby. The locked aircraft slid 200 yd m -1 flip across the grass before coming to rest. As far as Fuller was concerned, the touchdown was better than any he had made when practising circuits and bumps at Forest Hill airfield the previous day. His acting commanding officer, Squadron Leader Cooper, declared the choice of improvised runway "perfect", and the landing itself as a "wonderful effort". The RAAF's Inspector of Air Accidents, Group Captain Arthur "Spud" Murphy, flew straight to the scene from Air Force Headquarters in Melbourne, accompanied by his deputy Henry Winneke. Fuller told Murphy: Well, sir, I did everything we've been told to do in a forced landing—land as close as possible to habitation or a farmhouse and, if possible, land into the wind. I did all that. There's the farmhouse, and I did a couple of circuits and landed into the wind. She was pretty heavy on the controls, though! left Aftermath right vertical 260 SUK10426BruceFuller1941.jpg Two men talking, one in dark overcoat with broad-brimmed hat, the other in dark military uniform with forage cap Sergeant Fuller (right) with Australian High Commissioner Stanley Bruce in London, 1941 BrocklesbyAvroAnsonPropeller.JPG An aircraft engine and propeller sits under fenced, roofed shelter in a park The monument to the accident in Brocklesby, 2009 The freak accident garnered news coverage around the world, and cast a spotlight on the small town of Brocklesby. In preventing the destruction of the Ansons, Fuller was credited not only with avoiding possible damage to Brocklesby, but with saving approximately £40,000 (approximately AU$4.7 million in 2022 terms)Using GDP deflator for capital costs, and allowing for change in currency from pounds to dollars in 1966. Calculated using data available at MeasuringWorth.com on 29 September 2023. worth of military hardware. Both Ansons were repaired; the top aircraft (N4876) returned to flight service, and the lower (L9162) was used as an instructional airframe. Hewson was treated for his back injury at Albury District Hospital and returned to active duty; he graduated from No. 2 SFTS in October 1940. He was discharged from the Air Force as a flight lieutenant in 1946. Sinclair was discharged in 1945, also a flight lieutenant. Fraser was posted to Britain and flew as a pilot officer with No. 206 Squadron RAF, based in Aldergrove, Northern Ireland. He and his crew of three died on 1 January 1942 during a routine training flight, when their Lockheed Hudson collided with a tree. Fuller was promoted to sergeant after his successful landing, but also confined to barracks for fourteen days and docked seven days' pay for speaking about the incident to newspapers without authorisation. He graduated from No. 2 SFTS in October 1940, and received a commendation from the Australian Air Board for his "presence of mind, courage and determination in landing the locked Ansons without serious damage to the aircraft under difficult conditions". Fuller saw active service first in the Middle East, and then in Europe with No. 37 Squadron RAF. He earned the Distinguished Flying Medal for his actions over Palermo in March 1942. Commissioned later that year, Fuller was posted back to Australia as a flying officer, and became an instructor at No. 1 Operational Training Unit in Sale, Victoria. He died near Sale on 18 March 1944, when he was hit by a bus while riding his bicycle. Legacy According to the Greater Hume Shire Council, the 1940 mid-air collision remains Brocklesby's "main claim to fame". Local residents commemorated the 50th anniversary of the event by erecting a marker near the site of the crash landing; it was unveiled by Tim Fischer, the Federal Member for Farrer and Leader of the National Party, on 29 September 1990. On 26 January 2007, a memorial featuring an Avro Anson engine was opened during Brocklesby's Australia Day celebrations. Footnotes References Citations 30em RAAF Historical Section, Units of the Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 102–103 Stephens, The Royal Australian Air Force, pp. 67–70 Parnell; Boughton, Flypast, p. 186 Ilbery, Hatching an Air Force, p. 16 http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=R&veteranId=1063481 Sinclair, Ian Menzies World War 2 Nominal Roll Department of Veterans' Affairs 22 April 2014 1 February 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140201120742/http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=R&veteranId=1063481 dead http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=R&veteranId=1050819 Hewson, Jack Inglis World War 2 Nominal Roll Department of Veterans' Affairs 22 April 2014 1 February 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140201120641/http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=R&veteranId=1050819 dead Coleman, Above Renown, pp. 103–104 Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, pp. 82–83 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040314/https://static.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RCDIG1070477--1-.pdf 4 March 2016 Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, p. 111 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041351/https://static.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RCDIG1070724--1-.pdf 4 March 2016 Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, pp. 97, 109 https://web.archive.org/web/20160304041351/https://static.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RCDIG1070724--1-.pdf 4 March 2016 Gillison, Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942, p. 56 https://web.archive.org/web/20160303231209/https://static.awm.gov.au/images/collection/pdf/RCDIG1070475--1-.pdf 3 March 2016 http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=R&veteranId=1047933 Fuller, Leonard Graham World War 2 Nominal Roll Department of Veterans' Affairs 22 April 2014 1 February 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140201120638/http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=R&veteranId=1047933 dead http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=R&veteranId=1047778 Fraser, Hugh Gavin World War 2 Nominal Roll Department of Veterans' Affairs 22 April 2014 1 February 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140201120737/http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/Veteran.aspx?serviceId=R&veteranId=1047778 dead https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/78800782 Risks life to save villagers The Daily News Perth 2 October 1940 22 April 2014 2 National Library of Australia Wilson, Anson, Hudson & Sunderland in Australian Service, pp. 52–53 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/2539446 Pick-a-back planes The Canberra Times Canberra 2 October 1940 22 April 2014 3 National Library of Australia Coleman, Above Renown, pp. 99, 103 http://www.awm.gov.au/catalogue/research_centre/pdf/rc09125z007_1.pdf RAAF Personnel Serving on Attachment in Royal Air Force Squadrons 14 Australian War Memorial 18 April 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140328054907/http://www.awm.gov.au/catalogue/research_centre/pdf/rc09125z007_1.pdf 28 March 2014 Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF Officers Personnel Files, p. 42 Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF Officers Personnel Files, p. 32 https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/11811366 Pick-a-back pilot's death in road accident The Argus 21 March 1944 3 February 2016 3 http://www.greaterhume.nsw.gov.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=HLJ1ryGx7dk%3D&tabid=105 What's on in May Greater Hume Shire 22 July 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20140426221811/http://www.greaterhume.nsw.gov.au/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=HLJ1ryGx7dk%3D&tabid=105 26 April 2014 http://greaterhume.nsw.gov.au/VisitOurShire/ShireVillages.aspx Shire Villages Greater Hume Shire 22 July 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170308042103/http://greaterhume.nsw.gov.au/VisitOurShire/ShireVillages.aspx 8 March 2017 Jones Howard Town remembers piggyback planes 3 January 2007 https://www.bordermail.com.au/story/30390/town-remembers-piggyback-planes/ The Border Mail Fairfax Media 22 April 2014 subscription Royal Australian Air Force, RAAF Officers Personnel Files, pp. 4–5 Mulcahy Mark Gala double for couple 27 January 2007 https://www.bordermail.com.au/story/31131/gala-double-for-couple/ The Border Mail Fairfax Media 22 April 2014 subscription Bibliography Coleman Robert 1988 Above Renown: The Biography of Sir Henry Winneke South Melbourne, Victoria, and Crows Nest, New South Wales Macmillan in association with The Herald and Weekly Times 0-333-47809-6 none Gillison Douglas 1962 Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume I – Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942 Canberra Australian War Memorial 2000369 https://web.archive.org/web/20140306234418/http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/AWMOHWW2/Air/Vol1/ none Ilbery Peter Hatching an Air Force: 2 SFTS, 5 SFTS, 1 BFTS Uranquinty and Wagga-Wagga Banner Books Maryborough, Queensland 2002 1-875593-24-1 none Parnell Neville Boughton, Trevor Flypast: A Record of Aviation in Australia Australian Government Publishing Service Canberra 1988 0-644-07918-5 none RAAF Historical Section 1995 Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 8: Training Units Canberra Australian Government Publishing Service 0-644-42800-7 none Royal Australian Air Force RAAF Officers Personnel Files: Fuller, Leonard Graham 1939–1998 National Archives of Australia Canberra https://web.archive.org/web/20141025121325/http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/Imagine.asp?B=5371669 none Stephens Alan 2001 2006 The Royal Australian Air Force: A History London Oxford University Press 0-19-555541-4 none Wilson Stewart Anson, Hudson & Sunderland in Australian Service Aerospace Weston Creek, Australian Capital Territory 1992 1-875671-02-1 none External links Military of Australia Aviation Photos of crash site at Australia@War lp478Tgm5gg Newsreel footage Aviation accidents and incidents in 1940 Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in New South Wales Category:History of the Royal Australian Air Force Category:Mid-air collisions involving military aircraft Category:Mid-air collisions in Oceania Category:Riverina Category:September 1940 in Australia