Beaufort A9-190 Wreckage

Higgins Advanced Operational Base/ Bamaga-Injinoo Airport.

Aircraft wreck
North and Cape York

Bamaga-Injinoo Airport, Bamaga 4876

The fuselage and wings of a RAAF Beaufort bomber, A9-190, are located at what was probably a salvaged parts dump on the northern side of the Higgins Field runway. Although the Japanese surrender was announced in Australia on 14 August 1945 after the detonation of nuclear bombs over the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki about a week earlier, disbandment of RAAF units and the return of men and aircraft from the Pacific war zone continued for over a year.

History

While returning from Madang to Cairns on 10 October 1945 this aircraft suffered an oil pressure problem, which caused the pilot to divert to Port Moresby for repairs. The aircraft left Port Moresby with a crew of three and four passengers. Halfway across the Coral Sea the pilot was forced to feather one of the two engines and change course for Higgins Field, where the aircraft made a straight-in approach downwind without flaps or brakes. Continuing beyond the end of the strip, it crashed into an earth mound and was wrecked. Fortunately, no-one on board was injured.

Source/comments

Pearce, Howard (contributing author).
Peter Nielsen. Diary of WWII North Queensland, Nielsen Publishing, Gordonvale, 1993.
Howard Pearce (Ed.). Heritage Trails of the Tropical North: A heritage tour guide to far north Queensland, Environmental Protection Agency, Brisbane, 2001.
Howard Pearce. WWII: NQ: A cultural heritage overview of significant places in the defence of north Queensland during World War II. Environmental Protection Agency, Brisbane, 2009.