Southern Cloud
Encyclopedia
The Southern Cloud, registered VH-UMF, was one of 5 three-engine Avro 618 Ten
aircraft flying daily airline services between several Australia
n cities for Australian National Airways
in the early 1930s. On 21 March 1931, the Southern Cloud departed at 8:10 AM from Sydney for Melbourne. Onboard were six passengers and two crewmembers, including pilot Travis "Shorty" Shortridge. Weather conditions en route were hazardous and much worse than predicted. The aircraft never reached its destination and disappeared.
The search for the missing aircraft lasted eighteen days and involved over twenty aircraft. No trace of the missing aircraft was found. Airline co-owner Charles Kingsford-Smith searched for the missing aircraft and "may have flown over the crash site, but with the aircraft having burned it would be very difficult to distinguish from the air and so the discovery wasn't made."
It was Australia's first major airline disaster. Australian National Airways folded later that year as a result of both this and another loss. A film inspired by the accident, Secret of the Skies
, was released in 1934.
The Southern Cloud's fate remained a mystery for 27 years until 26 October 1958. On that day, Mr. Tom Sonter, a worker on the Snowy Mountains Project, accidentally discovered the wreck. The crash site was in heavily timbered mountainous terrain within the Snowy Mountains
about 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) east of the direct Sydney-Melbourne route. Investigations concluded that the severe weather conditions at the time of the flight most likely contributed to the crash.
A man named Stan Baker had been booked to fly on the fateful journey, but cancelled prior to the flight, and travelled by train instead. As a result of the aircraft's disappearance, he harbored a life-long fear of flying - which was proved justified when he was killed in the 1950 crash of the ANA DC-4 Amana
.
Avro 618 Ten
-See also:-References:* Priest, Joan Virtue in Flying. 1975 Angus & Robertson ISBN 0207132305-External links:* —Image collection of Ed Coates...
aircraft flying daily airline services between several Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n cities for Australian National Airways
Australian National Airways (1930)
Australian National Airways was a short-lived Australian airline, founded in 1929 by Charles Kingsford Smith and Charles Ulm.The airline began operations in January 1930 with five Avro 618 Tens, similar aircraft to Kingsford Smith's famous Southern Cross...
in the early 1930s. On 21 March 1931, the Southern Cloud departed at 8:10 AM from Sydney for Melbourne. Onboard were six passengers and two crewmembers, including pilot Travis "Shorty" Shortridge. Weather conditions en route were hazardous and much worse than predicted. The aircraft never reached its destination and disappeared.
The search for the missing aircraft lasted eighteen days and involved over twenty aircraft. No trace of the missing aircraft was found. Airline co-owner Charles Kingsford-Smith searched for the missing aircraft and "may have flown over the crash site, but with the aircraft having burned it would be very difficult to distinguish from the air and so the discovery wasn't made."
It was Australia's first major airline disaster. Australian National Airways folded later that year as a result of both this and another loss. A film inspired by the accident, Secret of the Skies
Secret of the Skies
Secret of the Skies is a 1934 Australian film directed by A.R. Harwood about a bank robber who crashes a plane in remote bush. The story was inspired by the disappearance of the Southern Cloud in 1931.-Cast:* Paul Allsop * Norman Banks...
, was released in 1934.
The Southern Cloud's fate remained a mystery for 27 years until 26 October 1958. On that day, Mr. Tom Sonter, a worker on the Snowy Mountains Project, accidentally discovered the wreck. The crash site was in heavily timbered mountainous terrain within the Snowy Mountains
Snowy Mountains
The Snowy Mountains, known informally as "The Snowies", are the highest Australian mountain range and contain the Australian mainland's highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko, which reaches 2,228 metres AHD, approximately 7310 feet....
about 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) east of the direct Sydney-Melbourne route. Investigations concluded that the severe weather conditions at the time of the flight most likely contributed to the crash.
A man named Stan Baker had been booked to fly on the fateful journey, but cancelled prior to the flight, and travelled by train instead. As a result of the aircraft's disappearance, he harbored a life-long fear of flying - which was proved justified when he was killed in the 1950 crash of the ANA DC-4 Amana
ANA Skymaster Amana crash
The ANA Skymaster Amana crash was an aircraft crash which occurred near Perth, Western Australia on 26 June 1950. At 9:50pm, a Douglas DC-4 Skymaster aircraft named Amana, operated by Australian National Airways, departed Guildford aerodrome in Perth, Western Australia, heading for Adelaide...
.