CRASH OF A KITTYHAWK
NORTH OF DARWIN, NT
ON ? SEPTEMBER 1942

visits since 5 January 2005

P-40 Kittyhawk, A29-60 of 77 Squadron RAAF crashed north of Darwin on ??/9/42 after running out of fuel. The pilot was P/O John E. Gorton, the future Prime Minister of Australia.

Gordon Clark believes 77 Squadron was sent to just south of Darwin in August 1942. On an intercept in September 1942 P/O Gorton chased the Japs out over the Arafura Sea and it appears he went a bit too far. On the return he was very low on fuel and crash landed (possibly on Melville Is?). It was some time before he was rescued and eventually A29-60 was salvaged, repaired and sent to 2 OTU.

This type of incident of running out of fuel after chasing the Jap aircraft out to sea was not restricted to 77 Squadron as the Spitfires of 452, 457 and 54 (RAF) Squadrons also succumbed to this problem

On 23 September 1943, this same aircraft, while attached to 2 OTU RAAF was involved in another crash at Gol Gol Range in New South Wales and exploded killing the pilot, P/O Neville Douglas Murphy.

Gorton was involved in the Malaysian campaign in late 1941 and in early 1942 he was shot down in a Hurricane. This crash causing some of his facial injuries.

This aircraft was delivered to the RAAF in March 1942. 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Gordon Clarke for his assistance with this home page.

Can anyone help me with more information on this crash?

Heaps of WW2 books available at Amazon.com

"Australia @ War"

This page first produced 5 January 2005

This page last updated 05 January 2005