60th Anniversary of "Abel Tasman" Loss

[Greg Hyde]

Yesterday 10/06/20 was the 60th anniversary of the "Abel Tasman" Loss

Today is the 60th anniversary since the TAA Fokker F27 Friendship VH-TFB "Abel Tasman" crashed into the sea on Friday June 10 1960, while on approach to Mackay Airport.

It still stands as Australia’s worst commercial air disaster.

The aircraft was on an evening flight from Brisbane to Mackay when it crashed. 29 people – including a number of local schoolboys returning home for the Queens Birthday long weekend – were on board.

There was heavy fog and the plane's first attempt at landing had to be aborted. Friends and families had been watching the plane circle when, at 10.05pm, the Fokker disappeared into the sea just off Far Beach.

This was the first crash of a TAA aircraft involving paying passengers.

VH-TFB was the flagship of their Fokker F27 Friendship fleet. This aircraft was delivered to TAA about ten weeks before VH-TFA.

http://cqplanespotting.blogspot.com/...okker-f27.html

The schoolboys on board were from the Rockhampton Grammar School and were flying home for the long weekend. Their families had given the boys a "treat" to fly home rather then be picked up at the school or catch a bus.

The school has a plaque commemorating the schoolboys lost.

Also this crash was significant in the introduction of Black boxes and Cockpit voice recorders into Australian Civil aviation.

Mac Job in his book "Air Crash - Volume 2" wrote about the accident.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyGLtrXY8FM

No cause was ever found....

[MarkR]

Ironically Mackay is also associated with the worst air disaster full stop, a B17 crash that claimed 40 lives https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-...ersary/9827764