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1937 Stinson plane crash

The 1937 Stinson plane crash occurred on February 19, 1937 when a Stinson Model-A airplane, traveling from Brisbane to Lismore, succumbed to poor flying conditions and crashed into dense rainforest within the Lamington National Park in Queensland, Australia. Of the seven passengers on board, five ultimately perished. The crash is notable for the remarkable survival of two passengers, Joe Binstead and John Proud, who survived eight days with significant injuries and no food, and the heroic actions of local bushman Bernard O'Reilly, who single-handedly traversed the rainforest and located the crash site.

ACCIDENT

At 1300 local time on February 19, 1937, Stinson flight VH-UHH departed the Archerfield Aerodrome in Brisbane, enroute to Sydney. A scheduled stopover was planned for Lismore for refueling and to collect additional passengers. The aircraft was carrying two crew and five passengers:


 * Captain Rex Boyden
 * First Officer Beverley Shepherd


 * John Proud, 30, a mining engineer
 * Joe Binstead, 54, a woolbreaker
 * James Westray, 26, employee of Lloyds of London
 * William Fountain, New York architect
 * James Roland Graham, 55, manager of a Sydney printing company

Weather conditions in Brisbane were overcast and windy. Earlier that day, the Brisbane Bureau of Meteorology had released a cyclone warning for areas along the Stinson's route, but Captain Boyden pushed ahead, choosing to evauate the conditions once in the air.

Approximately 25 minutes into the flight, the Stinson was flying above Lamington National Park when it encountered bad weather. According to Binstead's testimony, Captain Boyden attempted to bank and climb above the conditions, but was prevented by low currents of gale coming over the top of the range. Unable to gain elevation, the Stinson struck the top of the rainforest canopy and crashed into the ground, bursting into flames on impact. Both pilots, along with Fountain and Graham, were killed instantly.

Westray