See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Qantas fatal accidents .
[[File:VH-ABBcrop.jpg|right|thumb|Short S.23 Empire flying boat VH-ABB, which crashed in 1994
While Qantas has never had a fatal jet airliner accident, the Australian national airline suffered losses in its early days before the widespread adoption of jets in civilian aviation. [1] These were mainly biplanes or flying boats servicing routes in Queensland and New Guinea. [2] The incidents between 1942 and 1944 were during World War II, when Qantas Empire Airways operated on behalf of the military. [3] While strictly speaking not accidents, the shootdowns of G-AETZ and G-AEUH are included for completeness. In 2014 and 2023, Qantas was rated the world's safest airline by Airline Ratings. [4]
| Date | Location | Aircraft type | Registration | Description | Total occupants | Fatalities | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 March 1927 | Tambo, Australia | Airco (later de Havilland) DH.9C | G-AUED | Stalled at low altitude on approach to land. Pilot Alan Douglas Davidson | 3 | 3 | [5] [6] |
| 4 September 1928 | Adelaide Hills, Australia | de Havilland DH.50J | G-AUHI | Following a tour carrying Sir John Salmond, aircraft departed Adelaide piloted by C. W. A. Scott with engineer as passenger; lost control in cloud during attempt to cross the Adelaide Hills and aircraft crashed and caught fire killing the engineer. See C. W. A. Scott's DH.50J Hermes, fatal crash. | 2 | 1 | [7] |
| 3 October 1934 | Near Winton, Australia | de Havilland DH.50A | VH-UHE | Crashed after in-flight loss of control, possibly stalled at low altitude in dusty low-visibility conditions. | 3 | 3 | [8] |
| 15 November 1934 | Near Longreach, Australia | de Havilland DH.86 | VH-USG | Crashed on its delivery flight from England to Brisbane after in-flight loss of control, probably due to the type's design deficiencies. | 4 | 4 | [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] |
| 30 January 1942 | Timor Sea off Koepang | Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat | G-AEUH | Shot down by Japanese aircraft; ex-Qantas VH-ABD, owned by Imperial Airways and operated by Qantas. | 18 | 13 | [3] [14] [15] |
| 20 February 1942 | Brisbane, Australia | de Havilland DH.86 | VH-USE | Lost control after take-off in stormy weather, possibly broke up in flight (tail fin found a mile from the crash site). | 9 | 9 | [16] [17] [18] [19] |
| 28 February 1942 | Between Tjilatjap, Netherlands East Indies and Broome, Australia | Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat | G-AETZ | Nicknamed "Circe" Shot down by Japanese aircraft; owned by Imperial Airways and operated by Qantas. | 20 | 20 | [20] |
| 22 April 1943 | Gulf of Papua off Port Moresby, Papua | Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat | VH-ADU | Stalled in flare and broke up during emergency landing in open water in poor weather. | 31 | 13 | [15] [21] |
| 26 November 1943 | Port Moresby, Papua | Lockheed C-56B Lodestar | 42-68348 | Struck hill after take-off; USAAF aircraft operated by Qantas for Allied Directorate of Air Transport. | 15 | 15 | [22] [23] |
| 11 October 1944 | Rose Bay, Sydney, Australia | Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat | VH-ABB | On final approach with one engine shut-down, stalled 3 metres (10 ft) above the water and hull ruptured on impact. | 30 | 2 | [15] [24] [25] |
| 23 March 1946 | Indian Ocean | Avro Lancastrian | G-AGLX | Aircraft disappeared between Colombo and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, cause unknown; aircraft owned by BOAC and operated by both airlines on Sydney-London services (BOAC crews operated London-Karachi and Qantas crews Karachi-Sydney). | 10 | 10 | [26] [27] |
| 16 July 1951 | Huon Gulf near Lae, Papua New Guinea | de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover | VH-EBQ | Crashed in sea after centre propeller failure, in heavy rain half a mile from the coast. Cargo of gold doré bars worth £36,000 (A$1.7 million 2022) was never found. | 7 | 7 | [28] [29] |
| 21 September 1951 | 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) southeast of Arona in the central highlands of New Guinea | de Havilland DH.84 Dragon | VH-AXL | Crashed in mountainous country, no passengers aboard | 1 | 1 | [30] |
| 13 December 1951 | Near Mount Hagen, central highlands of New Guinea | de Havilland DH.84 Dragon | VH-URV | Crashed in mountainous country | 3 | 3 | [31] |
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. It is the largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations in Australia and Oceania. Qantas is the world's third-oldest continuously operating airline, being founded in November 1920. Qantas is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance.
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The de Havilland Express, also known as the de Havilland D.H.86, was a four-engined passenger aircraft manufactured by the de Havilland Aircraft Company between 1934 and 1937.
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