No fatalities

Aircraft Undercarriage Failure During Landing at Terapo Airstrip (A34-43)

Terapo, Papua New GuineaLanding (descent or approach)

On July 12, 1943, a De Havilland DH.84 Dragon (registration A34-43) operated by Royal Australian Air Force - RAAF was involved in an aviation accident near Terapo, Papua New Guinea during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft's wheels became trapped in a deep drainage ditch during landing, causing the undercarriage to be torn off. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-08-05Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft suffered severe undercarriage damage after its wheels caught in a drainage ditch during landing at Terapo Airstrip. The pilot escaped the accident without injury, but the airplane was destroyed.

What happened

Following touchdown at Terapo Airstrip, the aircraft began to swing toward the starboard side. The pilot attempted to correct this deviation by utilizing a combination of rudder inputs, throttle adjustments, and braking. As the swing was nearly neutralized, the starboard main wheel encountered a deep drainage ditch. This impact caused the opposite wheel to be pulled into the same obstruction, resulting in the complete tearing off of the undercarriage assembly.

The structural damage sustained by the airframe rendered it beyond repair. Despite the severity of the incident, the pilot was able to escape the wreckage and remained uninjured.

Probable cause

The aircraft's wheels became trapped in a deep drainage ditch during landing, causing the undercarriage to be torn off.