The 1940 Canberra air disaster

[VladTepes]

Well I never knew this - very interesting

The 1940 Canberra air disaster that changed history — and the unanswered questions that remain

Witnesses saw the bomber circle, bank steeply, drop one wing and then 'pancake' into the ground. After that — fire."You could hear a sort of crackling noise. It was a terrible accident. Terrible accident," recalls David Nott, who was nine at the time.

Australian history changed in that instant.

Half of the war cabinet was wiped out, and prime minister Robert Menzies lost his closest supporters.

full article:

The 1940 Canberra air disaster that changed history — and the unanswered questions that remain - RN - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

[Hugh Jars]

There is a monument on Disaster Hill, which lies almost on the centreline of the existing runway 12/30. When you are approaching RWY 30, you are only a few hundred feet above the ground in that area. It’s a north-south ridge line.

[JDNSW]

I've known about this crash for probably fifty years or more, but this article made me aware for the first time that it was probably the reason for the end of the Menzies government. The question of whether Fairbairn was piloting the plane at the time is one that has been argued about for decades.

There have been a number of Hudson accidents, including a relatively recent one in my industry (geophysics), near Katherine, from memory.