VHCXH *
 |
| Type: | L-14-WF62 Super Electra |
| MSN: | 1411 |
| Previous Identities: | PK-AFM |
| Subsequent Identities: | Nil |
History:
| 38 | Construction completed at Burbank. |
| 12MAR38 | Delivered to KNILM by Lockheed and subsequently shipped to the Netherlands East Indies. Subsequently registered PK-AFM to KNILM. |
| FEB42 | Used with other KNILM aircraft on evacuation flights from the NEI to Australia in advance of the Japanese invasion. After escaping to Australia the aircraft was operated by KNILM under charter to the military. |
| Allocated radio callsign VHCXH. | |
| Unlike the other Dutch Lockheed 14s that came to Australia, this aircraft was never handed over to the USAAF because it was written off before the transfer took effect. | |
| 26MAR42 | Departed from Brisbane in the command of Captain Badings (KNILM) but failed to arrive at Batchelor, N.T. after having refuelled at Daly Waters. |
| 30MAR42 | RAAF search aircraft found the missing aeroplane approximately 155 miles south-east of Darwin near a river in the vicinity of Katherine (35 miles due east of the Number 5 bore). The KNILM DC-3 PK-ALT was despatched to drop food and water. It emerged that the crew had become disoriented in the dark as there was no beacon at Batchelor to guide them. A wheels up forced landing was attempted in what appeared to be a clear area but the aircraft slid into a cluster of trees which removed both wings and penetrated the nose. Although the trees concealed the wreckage, flares eventually attracted the attention of search aircraft. There were no injuries to the crew and passengers who, despite plentiful supplies of water, were forced to dine on their cargo of several young greyhounds destined for "some military big shot in Darwin"! A truck despatched from Katherine picked up the crew and passengers two days later. (Extracted from the privately published memoirs of John Gyzemyter of KNILM). |
| * The only Australian identity carried by this aeroplane was the radio call-sign VHCXI. It is presented here without a hyphen to distinguish it from an Australian civil registration as this aeroplane did not appear on the Australian Civil Register. |
| Issue | Date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 25SEP22 |
Revised
the page to reflect the fact that this aeroplane was allocated
the Australian radio callsign VHCXH, contrary to what was
stated previously.
|
| 3 | 03APR16 |
Refreshed
page layout with no change to data.
|
| 2 | 16MAY06 |
Added
an image from the Barry Flood Collection via Dick Hitchins.
|
| 1 | 19FEB00 |
Original
Issue
|
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