Story behind the Stinson Crash 1937
Map Group, 15 Nov 2023
By Philip Castle, Historian and J ournalist

Why were seven men so keen to fly to Sydney that fateful afternoon?

Many know the amazing story of the Stinson crash on 19 February 1937 on the Lamington Plateau and local hero Bernard O'Reilly's trek to save two survivors. However not many know the stories behind the seven people who took the flight and why they were so keen to take off even with a threatening severe weather pattern (cyclonic) off the coast. Philip Castle, a historian, has looked closely at the cause of the crash and the motives for those who boarded the fateful flight. The talk will include the most likely sequence which led to the crash and the heroism of the initial three survivors and their rescuers.

1937 Airlines of Australia, Stinson Crash
Stinson Model A Airliner