Yesteryear

To celebrate our 40th anniversary, this issue Yesteryear looks back at one key event in Australian aviation for each of the last 40 years.

January 20 1977  Defence Minister, James Killen stated that a junior sailor had been charged over the fire at HMAS Albatross, Nowra on December 4 1976 causing major damage to H hangar, home to 12 S-2E Grumman Trackers from squadrons VC851 and VS816. Although five aircraft were dragged from the hangar, nine aircraft were destroyed or damaged beyond repair, two were later repaired and returned to service with another was at Hawker de Havilland, Bankstown at the time of the fire. A court martial found the culprit was mentally unstable.