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1940 Brocklesby mid-air collision

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On the 29th of September, 1940, two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Avro Anson training aircraft collided mid-flight above Brocklesby, New South Wales, Australia. Remarkably, following the collision, the two planes became physically locked together yet managed to land without further incident. The upper Anson’s engines ceased functioning due to the impact; however, the lower aircraft’s engines remained operational, enabling continued flight. The navigators from both planes and the pilot of the lower Anson chose to parachute to safety. Meanwhile, the pilot of the upper Anson successfully controlled the combined aircraft using his ailerons and flaps, executing an emergency touchdown in a nearby field. All four crew members survived this extraordinary event. Post-incident, the upper Anson was restored and returned to active service while the lower Anson was repurposed as a ground instructional airframe.

Training school and flight details

Five twin-engined military monoplanes in flight, line abreast
Ansons of No. 2 SFTS in formation

The No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAAF (No. 2 SFTS), stationed at RAAF Base Wagga#RAAF Station Forest Hill near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, was among several pilot training establishments created during the early stages of World War II under Australia’s commitment to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.[1][2] After completing basic flight instruction at an elementary flying training school, trainee pilots advanced to an SFTS where they acquired essential operational skills such as instrument flying, night navigation, cross-country flight planning, advanced aerobatics, formation flying techniques, dive bombing practices, and aerial gunnery.[3][4] At the time when No. 2 SFTS commenced its inaugural course on 29 July 1940, its infrastructure was still under development.[1][5]

On the day of the accident—29 September 1940—two Avro Ansons from No. 2 SFTS departed Forest Hill for a scheduled cross-country training mission over southern New South Wales.[6] Aircraft with tail number N4876 was flown by Leading Aircraftman Leonard Graham Fuller, aged 22, from Cootamundra, New South Wales, accompanied by Leading Aircraftman Ian Menzies Sinclair, aged 27, from Glen Innes, New South Wales, serving as navigator.[6][7][8][9] The other Anson bearing tail number L9162 was piloted by Leading Aircraftman Jack Inglis Hewson, aged 19, from Newcastle, New South Wales, with Leading Aircraftman Hugh Gavin Fraser, aged 27 and hailing from Melbourne, acting as navigator.[6][7][10][11] Their intended route included stops first at Corowa, New South Wales, then at Narrandera, before returning to Forest Hill.[12]

Collision and emergency landing

Rear three-quarter view of two military monoplanes lying wheels down on a field, one atop the other
The interlocked Ansons resting in a paddock
Two military monoplanes lying wheels down on a field, one atop the other
Front sections and engines of the two aircraft intertwined

While flying at approximately 300 metres (1,000 ft) over the town of Brocklesby, near Albury, the Ansons initiated a banking turn.[6][12] During this maneuver, Fuller lost visual contact with Hewson's plane below him, resulting in a collision. Fuller later recounted the incident as a "grinding crash and a bang," caused by the propellers striking one another and tearing into the engine cowlings.[12][13] The two aircraft became locked together, with the turret of the lower Anson wedged into the port wing root of the upper plane, while its fin and rudder supported the upper Anson’s port tailplane.[14]

The collision disabled both engines of the upper aircraft; however, the engines on the lower Anson continued operating at full power as the combined planes slowly circled.[7][12] Fuller described this unusual configuration as "lumping along like a brick".[15] Despite this, he managed to maintain control over the entwined aircraft using his ailerons and flaps, and began looking for a suitable landing spot.[12][16] Meanwhile, the two navigators, Sinclair and Fraser, parachuted to safety, followed shortly by Hewson—the pilot of the lower Anson—who had sustained back injuries when the spinning propellers from the other plane cut through his fuselage.[1][12]

Fuller flew approximately 8 kilometres (5 mi) after impact before executing an emergency belly landing in a large paddock located about 6 kilometres (4 mi) southwest of Brocklesby. The fused aircraft skidded roughly 180 metres (200 yd) across the grass before coming to rest.[6][12] According to Fuller, this landing surpassed any he had performed during his recent practice sessions involving circuits and bumps at Forest Hill airfield. His acting commanding officer, Squadron Leader Cooper, praised both the selection of the improvised runway as "perfect" and called Fuller’s landing a "wonderful effort".[7] Group Captain Arthur "Spud" Murphy, RAAF’s Inspector of Air Accidents, immediately flew from Air Force Headquarters in Melbourne to investigate alongside his deputy Henry Winneke.[17] Fuller explained to Murphy:[12]

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Aftermath

Two men talking, one in dark overcoat with broad-brimmed hat, the other in dark military uniform with forage cap
Sergeant Fuller (right) alongside Australian High Commissioner Stanley Bruce in London, 1941
An aircraft engine and propeller sits under fenced, roofed shelter in a park
The Brocklesby accident memorial, photographed in 2009

The unusual incident attracted international media attention and brought the small community of Brocklesby into the public eye.[7][12] Fuller’s efforts to save the Ansons not only prevented potential harm to Brocklesby but also preserved military equipment valued at around £40,000 (equivalent to roughly AU$4.7 million in 2022)[lower-alpha 1]. Both aircraft were subsequently restored; the upper Anson (N4876) resumed operational flying duties, while the lower one (L9162) was repurposed for instructional use.[6][12] Following treatment for a back injury at Albury District Hospital, Hewson returned to active service and completed his training at No. 2 SFTS in October 1940.[7][12] He left the Air Force with the rank of flight lieutenant in 1946.[10] Sinclair was discharged a year earlier, also holding the rank of flight lieutenant.[9] Fraser was assigned to Britain, serving as a pilot officer with No. 206 Squadron RAF stationed at Aldergrove, Northern Ireland. Tragically, he and his three crew members lost their lives on 1 January 1942 when their Lockheed Hudson struck a tree during a routine training mission.[18]

Following his successful emergency landing, Fuller was elevated to sergeant, yet he faced fourteen days' confinement to barracks and a deduction of seven days’ pay after discussing the event with the press without official permission.[12][19] He completed his course at No. 2 SFTS in October 1940 and received formal recognition from the Australian Air Board for demonstrating "presence of mind, courage and determination in landing the locked Ansons without serious damage to the aircraft under difficult conditions".[7][20] Fuller subsequently served actively in the Middle East before joining No. 37 Squadron RAF in Europe. His valor during operations over Palermo in March 1942 earned him the Distinguished Flying Medal. Later that year, after receiving a commission, Fuller returned to Australia as a flying officer and took up an instructor role at No. 1 Operational Training Unit located in Sale, Victoria.[7][16] On 18 March 1944, Fuller died near Sale when he was struck by a bus while cycling.[16][21]

Legacy

The Greater Hume Shire Council identifies the 1940 mid-air collision as Brocklesby's most notable historical event. To mark the 50th anniversary, local community members installed a commemorative plaque close to the crash site, which was officially revealed by Tim Fischer, the Federal Member for Farrer and leader of the National Party, on 29 September 1990. Later, on 26 January 2007, during Brocklesby's Australia Day festivities, a memorial incorporating an Avro Anson engine was inaugurated to honor the occasion.

Bibliography

  • Coleman, Robert (1988). Above Renown: The Biography of Sir Henry Winneke. South Melbourne, Victoria, and Crows Nest, New South Wales: Macmillan in collaboration with The Herald and Weekly Times. ISBN 0-333-47809-6.
  • Gillison, Douglas (1962). Australia in the War of 1939–1945: Series Three (Air) Volume I – Royal Australian Air Force 1939–1942. Canberra: Australian War Memorial. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014.
  • Ilbery, Peter (2002). Hatching an Air Force: 2 SFTS, 5 SFTS, 1 BFTS Uranquinty and Wagga-Wagga. Maryborough, Queensland: Banner Books. ISBN 1-875593-24-1.
  • Parnell, Neville; Boughton, Trevor (1988). Flypast: A Record of Aviation in Australia. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-07918-5.
  • RAAF Historical Section (1995). Units of the Royal Australian Air Force: A Concise History. Volume 8: Training Units. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service. ISBN 0-644-42800-7.
  • Royal Australian Air Force (1939–1998). RAAF Officers Personnel Files: Fuller, Leonard Graham. Canberra: National Archives of Australia. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014.
  • Stephens, Alan (2006; originally published 2001). The Royal Australian Air Force: A History. London: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-555541-4.
  • Wilson, Stewart (1992). Anson, Hudson & Sunderland in Australian Service. Weston Creek, Australian Capital Territory: Aerospace. ISBN 1-875671-02-1.

External links

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 2SFTS
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Gillison111
  3. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Stephens
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Gillison97
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Gillison56
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Flypast
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Hatching
  8. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Fuller
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named WW2Sinclair
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named WW2Hewson
  11. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named FPRIN
  12. ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Renown
  13. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Fraser
  14. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Wilson
  15. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Canberra
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Gillison82
  17. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Coleman
  18. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named awm
  19. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RAAF42
  20. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RAAF32
  21. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named nla


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