CRASH OF A DH84 DRAGON
AT REDWOOD PARK,
TOOWOOMBA RANGE,
TOOWOOMBA, QLD
ON 2 MARCH 1943

At 7:45 am on 2 March 1943, an RAAF DH84 Dragon A34-49 aircraft attached to No. 4 Communications Flight took off from Archerfield Airfield in Brisbane on a 45 minute flight to Toowoomba piloted by Sergeant Alan Andrew Pearson (413500) with AC1 Albert Munt (77305, A1243) as his flight mechanic. As they flew up the left hand side of a deep valley 2/3 mile east of Toowoomba approaching the escarpment of the Toowoomba Range, they found that the city of Toowoomba, which sits on the edge of the range, was totally obscured by cloud and mist.

Joseph Radcliffe, the Bird Sanctuary Ranger for Redwood Park, was standing on his verandah at about 8:30 am and was watching the DH84 Dragon approach Toowoomba when it suddenly banked to the right. Joseph heard the engines rev up in an effort to gain height. Whilst still banking to the right the Dragon hit a tree and crashed to the ground and pancaked on its belly and caught fire. Both crew members were able to escape the wrecked aircraft with only minor scalp injuries before the fire took hold in the fuselage.

The local police constable's written report stated the following:-

I have to report at about 8-30 a.m. on even date a Dragon twin-engine bi-plane crashed into a tree In Redwood Park, Toowoomba Range, Toowoomba, and bursting into flames was totally destroyed.

The crew of this plane were Sergeant Pilot Airman Alan Andrew PEARSON, aged 20 years, and Flight Mechanic Albert MUNT, aged 19 years. PEARSON received incised wounds on the forehead and left top side of head. MUNT had an incised wound on the left side of the forehead. They were attended by the Toowoomba Ambulance and later conveyed to the Military 117 A.G.H., where they were admitted to Ward G for observation. Other than the above injuries these men appeared to suffer no ill affects [sic] from the crash.

Sergeant Pilot Airman PEARSON was the pilot of the plane in question and he informed me that he followed the Brisbane – Toowoomba highway until he was approaching the Toowoomba Range, where the morning fog became very heavy. The visibility was bad and he decided to return to his base, Archerfield Aerodrome. He banked to the right and collided with a tree which he could not see, owing to the poor visibility, and the plane crashed to the ground. The tree in question is situated about seventy-five yards in practically a direct line from the front of the ranger’s house, and [how] the plane crashed to the ground practically on top of a rise, about twenty paces from the tree. This tree was snapped off at the trunk, about two feet from the ground, and the trunk fell towards the position of the plane.

From my inquiries and observations I am of the opinion this accident was caused through the heavy fog and poor visibility, and had the plane not collided with the tree it would have cleared the rise and other trees In the vicinity. Wing Commander RAE of Toowoomba Headquarters was at the scene and he arranged with Sub-Inspector HALL to place an air-force guard on the destroyed machine.

REFERENCE BOOKS

Police Accident Reports - Queensland State Archives: Series 16865 Item 2177732

Can anyone help me with more information on this crash?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 4 October 2019

This page last updated 02 February 2020