Local Government
Yilgarn
Region
Wheatbelt
off King-Ingram Rd South Yilgarn
Yilgarn
Wheatbelt
Constructed from 1944
| Type | Status | Date | Documents |
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| (no listings) |
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| Type | Status | Date | Grading/Management | |
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| Category | ||||
| Municipal Inventory | Adopted | 16 May 1997 | Category E | |
This place has historic significance. On 17 August 1944 the Vultee Vengeance from No 25 Squadron, Pearce, took off on a routine flight to Corrigin and return to make weather observations. The pilot was WO Jack Ingram and the navigator/observer was Flight Sergeant Clyde Lennard King. From Corrigan the plane turned north but was caught in dense cloud formation. The fuel situation became critical. From a break in the clouds an area of dense scrub with no sign of habitation was sited. The pilot decided that he and the navigator should bale out The Vultee Vengeance is a cumbersome aircraft and has to roll to allow the crew to bale out. Ingram landed safely but no sign of King has ever been found. Ingram remained where he had landed till the following morning when he headed west through dense scrub. On reaching a burnt clearing he staked out his parachute. A chance remark from a commercial airline pilot led to the finding of the parachute 80km east of Narembeen. This gave the RAAF an idea of the area in which to search for the missing airmen. After walking for two days Ingram reached a farm house and was lifted to safety. A massive search for navigator King was instigated. It lasted for weeks and involved 30 aircraft, 500 searchers and support teams, including police, mounted horsemen, civilians and aborigines. No sign of King was ever found. The tattered shreds of a parachute were found 30km from the crash site. Later a fire went through the area destroying any further evidence. The wreckage of the plane covered four hectares. The engine was embedded three metres in the ground. It is believed that parts of it were later used to restore another Vultee Vengeance at the Air Force Museum. The Yilgarn Shire has erected a monument at the site.
94km south of Southern Cross on the road to Hyden is King-Ingram Road. This leads to the site of the crash of an RAAF Vultee Vengeance dive bomber and the unsolved mystery of what happened to the navigator. Very little remains of the plane - only small pieces of metal and evidence of soil disturbance.
Themes: Outside influences Sub Themes: World War II
Only small pieces of metal remain and soil disturbance.
Historic Site
| Epoch | General | Specific |
|---|---|---|
| Other Use | OTHER | Other |
| General | Specific |
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| TRANSPORT & COMMUNICATIONS | Air transport |
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