CRASH OF A VULTEE VENGEANCE
AT COOKTOWN, QLD
ON 30 SEPTEMBER 1943

Vultee Vengeance

At 1600 hours, on 30 September 1943, Vultee Vengeance A27-207 of 12 Squadron RAAF, crash landed at Cooktown airfield.

Due to the failure of an undercarriage jack connecting rod, the port undercarriage leg would not lock down. The pilot, Flying Officer Groves, misunderstood a signal from another aircraft and went in for a normal landing at Cooktown. Shortly after the aircraft touched down, the port leg collapsed.

The pilot, Flying Officer J.A. Groves, and his navigator, Sergeant H.J. Ross, were both uninjured.

REFERENCE BOOKS

Manuscript History of 12 Squadron RAAF

"Aircraft of the RAAF 1921- 71"
By Geoffrey Pentland & Peter Malone

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"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 25 July 1999

This page last updated 20 February 2020