1938 Kyeema Crash

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The 1938 Kyeema crash occurred on Mount Dandenong, Victoria, Australia. On October 25, 1938, eighteen people were killed when the Kyeema, an Australian National Airways DC-2, crashed. The aircraft was in route to Melbourne from Adelaide. The disaster is blamed on a combination of the presence of a heavy fog and the use of an outdated navigational practice which relied solely on landmarks to determine position. During the ensuing investigation, it was decided that the pilot believed he was descending for a landing at Essendon but was grossly off course causing him to crash into the mountain.

Those killed in the tragedy include a parliamentarian, a party of barristers and solicitors, a group of wine industry executives, and a young couple on their honeymoon.

Because of the crash, regulations were passed which require Flight Checking Officers to monitor the flights of airplanes and advise on such things as position, weather, and alternate landing options. Further, a radio beacon system was created to provide pilots with accurate information on their course.

It wasn’t until forty years after the crash that a memorial to the Kyeema and its eighteen passengers was created at the crash site.