“On 28 August 1972, a RAAF 38 Sqn Det A Caribou crashed in TPNG killing 4 crew and 21 PNG school Army Cadets. It has the dubious distinction of being Australia’s worst peacetime military aviation disaster.
While returning the cadets to Port Moresby from their annual camp in Lae, it hit mountains in cloud in the Kudjeru Gap near Wau. Three RAAF crew (Fl. Lt. G. Thomas, P.O. G. Ebsary, Cpl G. Power), Army Captain Bob Loftus, three expatriate Teacher cadet officers and 18 cadets were killed.
Four cadets survived until discovered by army pilot Captain Terry Hayes DFC almost a week after the aircraft went missing. One cadet (Nicholas Fabilla) died later at ANGAU Memorial Hospital in Lae (and his funeral was held at Taurama Barracks). The RAAF crew and cadet officers were repatriated to Australia while Captain Loftus and the cadets were buried in PNG, apparently all but forgotten except by a few.”
Ross Eastgate, August 2022 a witness.
Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (Geneva)
Date & Time: Aug 28, 1972, at 1430 LT
Type of aircraft: De Havilland DHC-4 Caribou
Operator:
Registration: A4-233
Flight Phase: Flight
Flight Type: Military
Survivors: Yes
Site: Mountains
Schedule: Lae – Port Moresby
MSN: 233
YOM: 1965
Location: Kudjeru Gap, Morobe
Country: Papua New Guinea
Region: Oceania
Crew on board: 3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board: 26
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities: 25
Circumstances:
The aircraft was completing a flight from Lae to Port Moresby, carrying three crew members and 26 cadets of the PNG Army. After passing over Wau in good weather conditions, the pilot decided to enter the Kudjeru Gap Valley when the weather conditions worsened rapidly with clouds up to 10,500 feet. At an altitude of 5,000 feet while trying to gain height, the right wing struck trees and the aircraft crashed on the slope of a mountain, about 50 meters below the summit. The wreckage was found three days later. Five injured passengers were evacuated but one of them died from his injuries.
Probable cause:
The pilot entered an area of low visibility, and the accident was the consequence of a controlled flight into terrain.
A Brave Survivor
The crash occurred exactly 50 years ago, and one survivor was Patrick Tau Gau (aged 17) of Port Moresby’s De La Salle College. Patrick was awarded a George Medal for his bravery in attempting to save those still alive after the crash. He led and cared for 3 other Cadet survivors until rescued. The crash had a devastating impact on the families affected, the College community, the Army, and the RAAF.
Patrick was inspired by his survival to study for the Ministry. He became a Minister in 1978, married in 1979 and helped to raise 6 children. Patrick retired from the Ministry in 2019 and lives in Port Moresby. His sister lives in Qld and is arranging a 50th Anniversary tribute for him, fellow Cadets, and the Servicemen involved (some of whom are still alive in Australia).
by Gregory J. Ivey
50th Anniversary
- A Memorial Service was held at the Bomana De La Salle Secondary School with Patrick Tau Gau present. (Contribution and photos by Asi Pako, sister of Patrick Tau Gau)
- The Air Force pays tribute. (Reproduced with permission from TRIBUTE The Newsletter of the Military Historical Society Australia, Queensland Division and its source CONTACT)
The Search
Details of the crash and the search by many personnel including Army Aviation, 1 PIR Servicemen, and the RAAF can be found in this article by Tom Derham, a member of the search party: Caribou Crash Kills PNG Students in1972.