What happened
On this day, No 11 Squadron, based at Rathmines, lost a Catalina amphibious aircraft and seven of its crewmen in a fatal accident on Lord Howe Island. The incident occurred during the night phase of a navigation exercise. After completing the outward leg to the island, the aircraft altered course for the return journey. Approximately twenty minutes into this leg, a serious fuel leak developed, causing petrol vapor to fill the compartment.
The captain decided to turn back toward Lord Howe Island to attempt an emergency landing in the sheltered lagoon. As the aircraft crossed the island from west to east, it turned back before clipping the ridge line below Malabar Hill at approximately 1930 local time. The plane then careered down the slope and exploded into flames. Local residents who rushed to the scene managed to extract two seriously injured crew members from the wreckage.
Findings
The accident resulted in seven fatalities, which represented the highest death toll suffered by the Royal Australian Air Force in a peacetime accident up until that time. The primary contributing factor was the severe fuel leak that compromised the aircraft's safety during the return leg of the exercise.