On December 26, 1928, a De Havilland DH.60 Moth (registration G-AUME) operated by Australian Aero Club was involved in an aviation accident near Melbourne-Essendon, Australia during takeoff. 2 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft stalled during a sharp turn at low altitude shortly after takeoff, leading to a fatal impact with the ground. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 4 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
Aircraft crashed shortly after departing Melbourne-Essendon Airport during climb-out, resulting in the deaths of both occupants due to a stall and subsequent impact.
What happened
The incident occurred immediately following departure from Melbourne-Essendon Airport. While the aircraft was in the initial climb phase, the pilot executed a sharp turn at a low altitude. This maneuver caused the airframe to enter an aerodynamic stall. Consequently, the vehicle descended rapidly and impacted the ground approximately 400 meters from the airport perimeter. The collision resulted in a significant explosion on impact. Both occupants were killed in the event.
Findings
The source material does not provide specific investigative conclusions or detailed contributing factors beyond the immediate sequence of events described.
Probable cause
The aircraft stalled during a sharp turn at low altitude shortly after takeoff, leading to a fatal impact with the ground.
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…