Old Plane Crash Site on Mt Guouogang

[Allchin09]

I missed the report so I'm trying to work out the situation here regarding plane crashes in this region.

We have the one around Christys Creek.
Then there is the one near Mt Guouogang (VH-PKX) featured in photos on this thread.
The trove article mentions another plane, a military Dragonfly which isn't either of the about two, so that makes three planes (I wonder where this one is located?)

Not there is the Hazelton Plane Crash. Is this VH-PKX, or a completely separate thing? Going off your info Dave of Jenolan Pit, I'd say it would be the same one. Not sure if the dates (you say 1954) work out though.
The Girls Gasping Through The Gangerangs article http://www.subw.org.au/archives/POR/Gasping.html mentions this "On the narrow ridgeline of Mt. Queahgong, we discovered a recent plane wreck. One wing was poking up out of the side of the ridge. The surrounding vegetation was burnt and the fuselage was just a lump of fused metal. Carol remembered that this plane had crashed about twelve months prior to our trip and it had taken the police a long time to find it.". As the trip was taken a few years after 1966 suggests that VH-PKX crashed in a period around 1967-1970 or so.

The guys that posted the videos of finding VH-PKX state on some forums that it crashed in 1965. Not sure where they got that from (maybe getting the dates from that article a little confused - one year previous to 1966), but it is at least in the same sort of time period. It is though definitely in the wrong time period to be the Hazelton plane which definitely crashed in 1954. It would also seem odd that Dick Smith couldn't find the wreck if it was VH-PKX near Guouogang given the amount of info on the web about it.

My thought is that there are 4 separate planes in the area (although the Christys Creek one is a little further away from the others).

Anyone have any info?

[Allchin09]

Just found a list of aircraft accidents over the period 1956-1966 here - http://www.airwaysmuseum.com/Downloads/ ... 6-1968.pdf

I can't seem to find anything in NSW that matches the Guouogang plane and the year of 1965, so my guess is that year is incorrect, and it occurred later as indicated by the Gasping Girls article.

[DaveNoble]

Yes - we have

1942 - Dragon Rapide - location unknown? Possibly seen by recovery party for the 1954 crash

October 1954 - Auster - near Jenolan Pit, Wreckage located and salvaged. Location of any remaining wreckage now forgotten

April 1968 - Cessna - near Mt Hawkfell - Queahgong

October 1993 - Spinebenders Ck (near Christies Ck)

Dave

[Allchin09]

Hmm, interesting. I'd say that the Dragon crash was actually in 1943 going off these articles - http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/82009763 and http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/161118305 - This website here also has some detailed information about it - http://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes/nsw178.htm, and apparently it was never found.

Another crash that I have come across is this one from 1934 - http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/143623926 - apparently near Little Rick, Yerranderie.

[Allchin09]

Reading that a track was cut out to the 1954 crash site for the recovery of the plane, I thought that its location could be found by looking for the trail on old aerial photographs of the area. I enquired with the Department of Lands who holds those sorts of things, and apparently they have an image of the area from 1958. Not sure if anything would still be visible 4 years afterwards though.

Here's the thing though, they want to charge $128.00 plus $10.40 postage for a digital scan of the photo. What a joke!! Maybe Dick might be interested in paying that sort of money for it though...

[tom_brennan]

Depending on where the aerial photo is held, you may be able to view it at the Dept of Lands offices. I used to do that with aerials (and their stereoscope) looking for canyons some years ago. Not sure if they still allow that.

[Allchin09]

Ok, thanks for the tip Tom. I'll enquire as to whether it is possible. It would be nice if it was held in Sydney.

[BenS]

Hi everyone first post here, been enjoying the trip reports and other info for a while though.

Thought I would sign up so I could mention that I paid a visit to this site twice over the past 2 weekends. The plane is still very much there and a highly intriguing site to visit.

First visit I went in with a friend from Carlon's farm via ironmonger ridge, scrubbers saddle and krungle bungle range. Then home via Mt Guouogang and Mt yellow dog (rather long day trip). We found the site no problems at all. It sure is an interesting destination and we were very glad to have made the effort to get out there.

Last weekend I took some other walkers out who were very keen to check it out. We walked down to the coxs on Friday night. Then Spent Saturday hiking out to the plane and back to the base camp. On the way back to base camp we descended via an unnamed ridge coming off the knoll that sits NE of Mt O'Reilly. This worked out OK but it was rather exciting. Original plan was to descend via Gaspers, but on the way up my wife dropped her phone somewhere near O'Reilly so we chose to back track to try and find it. In the end I managed to spot it on the return journey, so we were free to try the new descent. On Sunday we returned via Breakfast ck. A great couple of weekends exploring this part of Kanangra and using the Plane as an excuse to get out there. Great stuff.

[puredingo]

Good stuff mate!...Sounds like a exciting adventure. Did you strike many other walkers in your travels?

[BenS]

Good stuff mate!...Sounds like a exciting adventure. Did you strike many other walkers in your travels?

The first trip we saw a pair of walkers at carlons. They were heading off for Blackhorse ridge. I think they thought they had misheard me when i told them our plans. Didnt see a soul til later that night when we passed through Mobbs.

Last weekend, again saw some folks at Carlons but that was all.

We did see horses and cattle (together) down by the coxs about 1km downstream from breakfast. Anyone know what the deal with this is? Are these wild/escaped cattle? It looked like there was a bull some cows and some young calfs. Lots of manure too.

[Allchin09]

We did see horses and cattle (together) down by the coxs about 1km downstream from breakfast. Anyone know what the deal with this is? Are these wild/escaped cattle? It looked like there was a bull some cows and some young calfs. Lots of manure too.

Did you manage to get a photo of the horses and cattle? There are wild horses downstream in the catchment area, so could have been those.

[BenS]

We did see horses and cattle (together) down by the coxs about 1km downstream from breakfast. Anyone know what the deal with this is? Are these wild/escaped cattle? It looked like there was a bull some cows and some young calfs. Lots of manure too.

Did you manage to get a photo of the horses and cattle? There are wild horses downstream in the catchment area, so could have been those.

No didn't get any photos unfortunately. May well have been wild horses and perhaps the cattle were wild too, but I didn't know that was a problem in this area. There are farms not far upstream so maybe some made a break for freedom!?

[Roger Lembit]

Their bodies were found much lower down in Christies Creek. So - they had survived the crash - and had then attempted to walk down to where they had seen the tents - a long way down a difficult creek. They had not realised there was a track close to where they had crashed a bit up the hill. They could well have been injured - perhaps with burns. It looked like they had survived a few days in the creek before they died from exposure or their injuries. Ted was concerned about the wrong press report - and later spoke at the inquest. His view was that if the date had been correct - then he may have indeed heard the place and pointed searches in the right direction - and then the wreckage may have been spotted much earlier.

One other plane that vanished is the one thought to have crashed in the Barrington Tops area. That too may be an interesting story. I have heard that involves lots of money, senior police officers, drugs and corruption..... I wonder if these stories are correct? Will that plane wreck ever been found?

Dave

The location of the lads got to was actually along West Christys or Wheengee Whungee Creek on a flat south-south-east of Mount Hyperion. I have my old Yerranderie 1:31680 map marked with the location.

[Allchin09]

An old thread I know, but in relation to the October 1954 crash, the ATSB website has a report on the incident which includes a map http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/inv ... -afk-1954/

From what I can tell of the map, it looks like the crash site was marked on Guouogang Ridge around halfway between Mt Bullagowar and Mt Konangaroo.

I'll have to keep my eyes peeled next time I'm walking out that way.

[kanangra]

We have already established that the wreck near the top of the ridge that commenced this thread occurred on 9th April, 1968. See the article in the SMH I quoted from on page 1.

K.

[BenS]

Thanks Allchin thats a great find. Paragraph 10 explains that the wreckage was removed, that would have been quite a job! I wonder if anything remains. You'd have to think the site is a liitle way off guouogang ridge as if it was on the ridge surely it would have been seen by walkers.

Kanangra - you're referring to the plane wreck 500m sw of mount queahgong. The link allchin posted is a different crash that occured in 1954 as per the detailed report. The two sites are within 3km of each other; must be something unusual about that area eh?

[BenS]

I suspect the location marked on that atsb report is incorrect. It's not really consistent with this description of the salvage effort:

SALVAGE TASK
Officials of aero clubs said
last night that the recovery of
the wreckage of the Auster
was probably the greatest sal-
vage task ever undertaken to
recover a small plane. .
Mr. Max Hazelton said that
the efforts of the men to cut
the track through the bush to
the plane was "an amazing
lesson in stamina."
'They worked from almost
daylight till after dark with-
out complaining," he said.
"When we reached the
plane it was lying half-way
down a mountainside.
"The sides of the mountain
were steep-almost perpen-
dicular.
'The men clambered 200ft
down to the plane, parts of
the wreckage of which were
scattered up to 50 yards away.
'They lifted the fuselage
and engine on to their shoul-
ders and carried it up the
mountain to the waiting
truck."

I just cant see a track being cut all the way to the guouogang ridge location in a day. It also seems unlikely that a truck could get down or up the terrain between guouogang and bullagowar peaks (impossible?).

So where did VH-AFK crash?? Perhaps on the steep east face of guouogang? That would be consistent with the description above (and maybe explain the existence of the krungle bungle trail??).

Hazletons report mentioned walking down a slope until he emerged at the coxes river. This is a clue perhaps as many other possible crash sites would lead someone into long walks down smaller gorges before hitting the coxes. Ie whalania ck for example.

[paul8]

The discussions in this forum piqued my interest.
So, when someone offered to take me to the 1968 plane crash in Queahgong, I put my hand up straight away.
Here are some photos and a trip report:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HhdIsjwk8IiTgZo1PrwxJ4UzNIvM2l8Z/view?usp=sharing

[Avidbushwalker]

Wow. Thank you for sharing Paul. A very very interesting and worthwhile read. I will certainly be reading your blog too.

The discussions in this forum piqued my interest.
So, when someone offered to take me to the 1968 plane crash in Queahgong, I put my hand up straight away.
Here are some photos and a trip report:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HhdIsjwk8IiTgZo1PrwxJ4UzNIvM2l8Z/view?usp=sharing

[paul8]

[quote="Avidbushwalker"]Wow. Thank you for sharing Paul. A very very interesting and worthwhile read. I will certainly be reading your blog too.

Thank you

[Watkyn42]

This crash occurred on Tuesday 9 April 1968. The pilot was my father Murray Waddell. He was flying solo from Bankstown airport to Lake Cargelligo. He was 50 years old and left a wife and two sons aged 12 and 16 (I was the older). It is difficult to tell exactly what happened. It seems that cloud came down and there were visibility problems. He appears to have been very unlucky as he struck the ridge just below the peak. On that day we became aware early in the day that the plane was missing and a search was being undertaken. Late in the day the police came to our door and informed us that the wreckage had been sighted but that it would not be possible to access it until the next day. So we had to wait until the next day to have the worst confirmed.

[kanangra]

Oh how awful. I am so very sorry. Having been to the site of the wreck I can confirm that the plane crashed into a high point in the ridge just below the summit.

K.

[TomPom]

Has anyone seen any evidence of a plane wreck (the Dragon Rapide) in the vicinity of the northern Wanganderry tableland/beloon pass? I've recently become quite intrigued by this mystery and would love to have a crack at investigating some possible search areas I've devised from what little evidence and witness accounts there are.