File:Lockheed Lodestar Crash, 1949 (13096868325).jpg

On 18 March 1949, a Lockheed Lodestar crashed on the ridge behind Waikanae at about 10 a.m., killing all 15 people on board. This accident remains New Zealand’s third-worst air disaster. ZK-AKX “Kereru” took off from Whenuapai airport in Auckland, carrying the mail, bound for Paraparaumu, near Wellington. After dropping off passengers in Paraparaumu the flight was due to continue onto Harewood, in Christchurch, and Taieri, in Dunedin – the “Main Trunk” route. The weather on 18 March was overcast in Paraparaumu, and Captain R W Bartley, a former Air Force Commander, and his First Officer R A Boys were given permission by Air Traffic Control to descend through the cloud layer, which sat at 800 feet, using instruments to guide them. Staff at the Paraparaumu airport raised the alarm after no calls were answered after 9:55 a.m. Search and rescue teams made up of the Police, RNZAF and concerned locals found the wreckage of the plane about 3 kilometres from Waikanae, but were unable to get to the site until the next day, because of weather conditions. Fire had destroyed the aircraft. Because another Lockheed aircraft, the “Kaka”, had crashed on Mt Ruapehu in 1948, killing all thirteen passengers, a Royal Commission of Inquiry was instituted. The committee was made up of Wilfred Stilwell, a judge; Walter Sheen, an Air Force captain; and Ronald Kirkup, a farmer. The group heard evidence from many parties and eventually concluded that pilot error had been to blame for the crash. Their report was tabled before the Legislative Committee in August 1949, and the pictured pages show the committee’s rationale for the declaration of pilot error as the cause of the crash, and their recommendations for improving safety. Archives Reference: Le 1 1949/106 From the Alexander Turnbull Library- a picture of a Lockheed Lodestar in flight: natlib.govt.nz/records/29941618 For updates on our On This Day series and news from Archives New Zealand, follow us on Twitter twitter.com/ArchivesNZ