ANA SKYMASTER AMANA CRASH

The 'ANA Skymaster Amana crash' was a plane crash which occurred near Perth, Western Australia on 26 June 1950.
At approximately 10:00 p.m. on 26 June 1950, a Douglas DC-4 Skymaster plane named ''Amana'', operated by Australian National Airways, departed Guildford aerodrome (now Perth Airport) in Perth, Western Australia, heading for Adelaide. Soon after departure, the airport lost radio contact with the plane.
Another Skymaster plane, named ''McDougall Stuart'' and operated by Trans Australia Airlines, spotted a fire in bushland between Chidlow and York, and reported the coordinates.
Rescue workers located the ''Amana'', which had crashed in dense scrub on Berrybrow Estate, 22 kilometres west of York. 28 people died instantly in the crash, including 23 passengers and five crew members. Two men who lived on the property were first on the scene of the widely scattered burning wreckage to discover an elderly man walking around dazed with burnt clothes. This 67 year old Adelaide businessman was the only person to survive the initial crash, but died five days later in a Perth hospital. Eighteen bodies were so badly burnt they were not recognisable.
It is still unknown exactly what caused the crash despite a number of investigations, and black boxes were not included on planes in 1950. Speculations include water in the fuel and incompetency by the ground crew. It is known that after departure the number four engine had been shut down by the flight crew and subsequently the remaining three engines had all failed for indeterminate periods. The crew then attempted to return to the airport, but in the process, after clearing a ridge line, the plane struck a tree 10 metres off the ground and crashed into a downward slope. Eyewitnesses heard an explosion before the crash. Aircraft safety standards in Australia improved from the investigations into this disaster. [1] [2]
The ''Amana'' had its first flight in 1946 and was the flagship of the fleet. It had set an Australian speed record for a commercial plane and a world record for a Skymaster aircraft when it flew the Perth to Melbourne route in 6 hours 16 mins at an average speed of 460 km/h. [3]
There is a memorial to the victims of the crash at the entrance to the Beverley Aeronautical Museum, with flowers laid in their memory on the anniversary of this incident.
The disaster at the time was the worst plane crash in Australia's history - it is now the fourth worst. The crash is still the worst aviation disaster in Western Australia's history though. [4]

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See also

★ List of disasters in Australia by death toll