COLLISION OF TWO P-40 KITTYHAWKS,
ABOUT 2 MILES SOUTH WEST OF
WENTWORTH BOMBING RANGE, NSW
ON 16 FEBRUARY 1945

Typical P-40 Kittyhawk

Just after taking off from Mildura after 1340 hours, on 16 February 1945, RAAF P-40 Kittyhawks A29-186 (Red 2) and A29-167 (Red 1) of "A" Flight, 1 Squadron attached to No. 2 Operational Training Unit (2 OTU) Mildura, Victoria, were involved in a camera gunnery exercise near Wentworth Bombing Range just over the border in New South Wales. They were taking part in Exercise #3 at an altitude of 6,000 feet on No. 39 Course at Range "L" located about 8 miles west of Wentworth. The two aircraft were involved in a mid air collision at approximately at 1415hrs.

Both aircraft failed to return to their base at Mildura Airfield. Intensive searches were conducted by all available aircraft from 2 OTU aided by 6 Avro Ansons, three each from 6 SFTS and 3 AGS. The search was abandoned at 1630 hours on Sunday 18 February 1945.

On Monday, 2 OTU was informed by a resident of Wentworth of the wreckage of an aircraft 2 miles south west of the Wentworth Bombing Range. This was A29-186 which was destroyed on impact and caught fire. A further search revealed the other aircraft, A29-167, approximately 3/4 to 1 mile away from where the first aircraft was found. It was destroyed by the impact but did not catch fire.

Photo:- via Gordon Birkett

Wreckage of P-40 Kittyhawk A29-167

A wing tip from one of the aircraft was located 1 3/4 to 2 miles north west of one of the aircraft and the fact that the two aircraft had crashed so close to each other, it was concluded that they had collided in the air and crashed unobserved.

Both pilots were killed in the accident.

F/Lt Robert Ambrose Milne (406362)              - pilot of A29-167
F/Sgt. Norman Robert Hammond (419804)     - pilot of A29-186

Both pilots were buried in the Mildura War Cemetery on 20 February 1945. The ceremony was conducted by Squadron Leader Correll of the Church of England Church.

REFERENCES

Kittyhawk A29-167 and A29-186 - Court of Inquiry re accident near Mildura on 17 February 1945, NAA File

2 Operational Training Unit ORB, NAA File, pages 412 and 413

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I'd like to thank Gordon Birkett and Gordon Clarke for their assistance with this home page.

Can anyone help me with more information on this crash?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 31 January 2002

This page last updated 04 July 2022