World War II Aircraft Accidents
Several significant air accidents occurred during the operation of the base in World War II.
On 16 November 1944, two Spitfires from 459 (RAF) Squadron collided while changing formation in preparation for landing at the base. Warrant Officer Bushell, pilot of Spitfire A58-364, managed to parachute to safety; but W/O Posse, pilot of A58-300 died in the crash. Remnants of both aircraft still exist near the present airstrip.
On 23 March 1945, Liberator A72-80, under the command of Squadron Leader N. H. Straus, crashed shortly after takeoff. Straus found that the plane was unable to climb above about 400 ft (120 m), and turned around at Parry Harbour. He was unable to see the runway, and the aircraft crashed into the sea about one kilometre short of Truscott, killing all on board (11 crew, and one passenger) .
On 20 May 1945, Liberator A72-160 (a B-24M-10-CO model), on a mission to Balikpapan and piloted by Flight Lieutenant F. L. Sismey, crashed soon after take off, near the north west end of the runway. The aircraft was destroyed by its depth charges exploding. All 11 crew members were killed.
One of the most well known aircraft wrecks at Truscott actually pre-dates the base by two years. On the western side of the air base, in Vansittart Bay, there lies the wreckage of a USAAF Air Transport Command C-53 Skytrooper transport (a variant of the Douglas DC-3; serial number 41-20066). This aircraft made an emergency landing on 26 February 1942, after the pilot got lost while flying from Perth to Broome, and put it down on a salt pan on Anjo Peninsula. The crew and passengers were rescued by a commercial flying boat several days later.
Read more about this topic: Mungalalu Truscott Airbase
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