On December 30, 1921, an Avro 504 (registration D6243) operated by Canterbury Aviation was involved in an aviation accident near Motunau, New Zealand in flight. One person was killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Engine failure. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A).
A solo pilot lost control of his aircraft after an engine failure during a repositioning flight, resulting in a fatal crash into a wheat field near Motunau.
What happened
The incident occurred while the pilot was conducting demonstration flights in the Blenheim area. Following a stopover in Kaikoura, the crew member began positioning the aircraft toward Christchurch. During this leg of the journey, the engine failed, forcing an immediate attempt at an emergency landing. As the airplane descended to low altitude, it stalled and impacted the ground in a wheat field near Motunau. The impact resulted in serious injuries to the pilot, who was subsequently evacuated to a local hospital. Despite medical intervention, the pilot passed away from his injuries later that evening. The aircraft was destroyed in the crash.
Findings
The official investigation identified engine failure as the primary cause of the accident.
An X-AIR HAWK ultralight crashed in Chonburi, Thailand, killing the pilot and injuring a passenger. The accident was caused by deteriorated wing fabric and…
A Challenger II Special ultralight aircraft (U-B23) landed off-runway at Pai Airport, Mae Hong Son, on September 17, 2024, due to a gust of wind. No injuries…
The Polish aviation safety authority is investigating a serious incident involving an AT-3R100 aircraft that occurred on September 2, 2024. The investigation…
A SZD-48-3 glider suffered damage when its left wing struck a ground obstacle during a low final approach at EPWK on June 20, 2025. The pilot was uninjured.
A 39-year-old skydiver died after a hard landing near Leszno on May 1, 2026. The PKBWL preliminary report indicates the fatal impact resulted from a late,…
A student pilot crashed an SZD-50-3 Puchacz glider into the airfield fence during a solo training flight on June 6, 2026. The pilot was uninjured, but the…