Australian National Airways Flight 331 was a passenger flight on 2 September 1948, operated by ''

Lutana Lutana is a residential locality in the local government area (LGA) of Glenorchy in the Hobart LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about south-east of the town of Glenorchy. Th2021 censusrecorded a population of 2,616 for the state suburb ...

'', a

Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...

Australian National Airways Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s. The Holyman's Airways period On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.I ...

, which crashed into high terrain en route from

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, killing all 13 on board. A judicial enquiry by a Supreme Court Judge determined that the crash was caused by errors in radio navigation equipment used by the pilot to navigate the route from Brisbane to Sydney. One of the passengers was Margaret McIntyre, the first woman elected to the Parliament of Tasmania.

Flight

On 2 September 1948, the ''

'' departed

's airport on a scheduled flight to Sydney. About 280

nautical miles A nautical mile is a unit of length used in air, marine, and space navigation, and for the definition of territorial waters. Historically, it was defined as the meridian arc length corresponding to one minute ( of a degree) of latitude at the eq ...

(520 km) south of Brisbane it crashed into rising terrain in the

North West Slopes The North West Slopes region of New South Wales, Australia, refers generally to the area west of the Northern Tablelands, to the north of the Central West region and to the east of the Far West region. Despite its name, the region is in north- ...

of Australia's

Great Dividing Range The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...

, due to an erroneously determined position based on errors in the navigational equipment the pilots relied upon for determining a safe course through the rising terrain."AIRLINER FROM BRISBANE MISSING"
''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'' – 3 September 1948, p.1 (National Library of Australia) Retrieved 6 July 2015"Court Says Directional Aids Misled Lutana's Pilot"
'' The Argus'' – 25 November 1948, p.7 (National Library of Australia) Retrieved 6 July 2015

Inquiry

An Air Court of Inquiry was conducted by Judge William Simpson of the

Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory The Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory is the highest court of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). It has unlimited jurisdiction within the territory in civil matters and hears the most serious criminal matters. The court ha ...

, and two assessors, E. J. Bowen, Sci. D, PhD; and Captain L. M. Diprose, chief pilot of Associated Airlines, nominated by the Australian Pilots Association. The inquiry report, released 17 November 1948, found the pilot, Captain J. A. Drummond, to be a "pilot of more than ordinary ability," and led to a reorganisation of the Department of Civil Aviation’s system of

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled air ...

. The inquiry found that the probable cause of the crash was interference with the aeroplane's

magnetic compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with m ...

due to a nearby electrical storm and a temporary defect in the navigational signals sent by the Government-maintained Kempsey

low-frequency radio range The low-frequency radio range, also known as the four-course radio range, LF/MF four-course radio range, A-N radio range, Adcock radio range, or commonly "the range", was the main Radio navigation, navigation system used by aircraft for instrumen ...

station, an important

navigational aid A navigational aid (NAVAID), also known as aid to navigation (ATON), is any sort of signal, markers or guidance equipment which aids the traveler in navigation, usually nautical or aviation travel. Common types of such aids include lighthouses, ...

to flights in the area. The inquiry also identified errors and deficiencies in the aeronautical charts used to navigate the mountainous area. Australia's then Air Minister, Arthur Drakeford, objected to the findings of the inquiry, stating that the lack of definitive evidence in the report rendered its findings "inconclusive," and that the assertion that the Kempsey range station malfunctioned temporarily was "difficult to believe."

Memorial

A memorial was created in the town of Nundle in 1983. It consists of one of the damaged propellers from the aircraft and a bronze plaque listing the names of those who died in the accident.

References

Bibliography

* Fyshwick, Australia. pp. 200. {{DEFAULTSORT:Australian National Airways DC-3 crash Australian National Airways accidents and incidents Aviation accidents and incidents in New South Wales Lutana crash Airliner accidents and incidents caused by instrument failure Airliner accidents and incidents involving controlled flight into terrain Accidents and incidents involving the Douglas DC-3 1940s in New South Wales September 1948 in Australia 1948 disasters in Australia

Flight

Inquiry

Memorial

See also

References

Bibliography