Air Safety — DC-3 Ditches in Botany Bay

Dc-3 Ditches In Botany Bay

Based on a report by Bureau of Air Safety Investigation.

Owned by a charter operator and based at Camden Airport, the Douglas DC-3 had been engaged to fly a Sydney school’s army cadet band to Norfolk Island on Sunday, April 24, 1994, to take part in the island’s Anzac Day ceremonies on the following morning. There would be a total of 21 passengers and their luggage, plus the brass band’s musical instruments. The long overwater flight of more than six and a half hours in the DC-3 would necessarily involve an en route refuelling stop at Lord Howe Island, some three hours flying from Sydney.

Some time before the flight, the operating company, after some preliminary planning, informed the charterer that the payload available for the flight would be 2160 kg. This figure was derived from the basic weight of the aircraft, adjusted for the removal of unrequired passenger seats, and the fuel that would have to be carried. Before leaving for the airport, the captain completed a weight and balance sheet which showed the DC-3’s takeoff weight to be 11,757 kg, 127 kg below the Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW), with the center of gravity position within the aircraft’s center of gravity envelope. He used recommended standard weights for the passengers, and estimated the weight of the freight, including the life rafts, calculating the total payload as 1833 kg.

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