ZK-AJQ de
Havilland D.H.82A Tiger Moth
(c/n DHA502)
This aircraft was operated by the little
known West Coast United (sounds like a soccer
team)
Aero Club at Greymouth. ZK-AJQ was an Australian
(Bankstown) built Tiger
which
served with the RNZAF as NZ1416. It was involved in the last fatal
RNZAF Tiger
Moth
accident when the aircraft hit and killed the flarepath controller
during a night landing
at
Ashburton on 18 July 1944. After its Aero Club days it was
sold to Aerial Fertilising Co
Ltd in
1951. It then passed to Aviation Services Ltd of Hamilton in 1957
and was converted
to a
sprayer. It stalled just prior to landing in turbulent
conditions at Waharoa on 21 May 1960
whilst on
a ferry flight to storage for the winter and was written off.
Last heard of it was reputed
to be in
store at Pongakawa.