FORCED LANDING OF A VULTEE VENGEANCE
17 MILES FROM BARCALDINE
ON 10 FEBRUARY 1944

Vultee Vengeance A27-294 of 1 Aircraft Depot RAAF made a forced landing between Loughnagar and Geera, about 17 miles from Barcaldine on 10 February 1944 due to a fuel shortage. The undercarriage had collapsed. The crew and passengers were reported to be unhurt. An aircraft was despatched from Charleville to pick up the personnel.

The crew were as follows:-

F/Sgt Bertram Milton Cardwell (411743)
P/O Ronald Alvah Ellison Wright (408604) - 2nd Pilot
F/Sgt John Lawrence Adams (426855) - Navigator

They departed Charleville at 0850L hours on 10 February 1944, on a ferry flight to Townsville and New Guinea. Prior to departure the W.O.A.G. had seen the Charleville Aeradio operator and arranged a schedule, after having been informed that owing to skip it would probably be impossible for the aircraft to contact Charleville until more than 100 miles from Charleville.

The pilot took the direct route for Townsville, which was 35 miles west of the emergency landing ground at Mount Coolan, 50 miles west of that was Strathmore and 17 miles east of Macrossan.

Can anyone help me with more information on this crash?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 8 August 1944

This page last updated 08 August 2023