Story: Air crashes

Kaimai crash

Kaimai crash

The worst air accident within New Zealand occurred on 3 July 1963, when a National Airways Corporation DC3 slammed into the Kaimai Range during its descent towards Tauranga. All 23 people on board perished. A major cause of the crash was atrocious weather, which created strong downdraughts over the range. This photograph shows the wreckage soon afterwards, with the location of bodies circled.

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New Zealand Herald

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How to cite this page:

Nancy Swarbrick, 'Air crashes - Accidents and the development of aviation', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/6546/kaimai-crash (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Nancy Swarbrick, published 12 Jun 2006