Date:	Wednesday 27 May 1953
Time:	08:59
Type:	Bristol 170 Freighter 31M
Owner/operator:	Royal New Zealand Air Force - RNZAF
Registration:	NZ5908
MSN:	13061
Year of manufacture:	1952
Engine model:	Bristol Hercules 734
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	11 km SSE of Blenheim-Woodbourne Airport (BHE) -   New Zealand
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Blenheim-Woodbourne Airport (BHE/NZWB)
Destination airport:	Whenuapai Air Base (NZWP)

Narrative:
Bristol 170 NZ5908 operated served with RNZAF 41 Sqn. On May 27, 1953 it operated on the regular transport supply run from Whenuapai Air Base to Ohakea-Royal AFB (OHA), Blenheim-Woodbourne (BHE) and Wigram Air Base.
Group Captain R. Webb who was the commanding officer at Whenuapai also boarded the flight. He was not a qualified pilot on the Bristol 170 transport plane. On the return leg from Blenheim to Whenuapai he was at the controls in the left hand seat. The captain of the flight occupied the right hand seat and the navigator thus also had to move to a different position on the flight deck. The flight took off at 08:53 on an instrument departure to the east and soon entered clouds. Instead of continuing on runway heading until over Cook Strait, the airplane soon turned right towards high ground. The navigation instrument were not tuned into the correct beacon (Blenheim NDB). Six minutes after takeoff the airplane collided with Taylors Pass.

Ralph Simpson
King, John (1995). Aviation Accidents and Disasters. New Zealand Tragedies. Wellington: Grantham House. pp. 77-78. ISBN 1 86934 042 6
Ministry of Defence Accident File 25/2/2634

photo (c) Bob Jenner Hobbs; Singapore-Changi RAF Station; 1953

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