VH-EHU Cessna 182M
Skylane
(c/n 18259617)
Registered to Masling Aviation of
Cootamundra in June 1969, VH-EHU was photographed
(above) by David Carter a few months later when it visited Hoxton Park
for an air show. It
had
moved west by 1976 and was owned by a farmer from Boyup Brook, near
Bunbury.
It was at Bunbury on January 13, 1978 that it was involved in a bizarre
accident. –EHU
had
a flat battery, so the pilot loaded his four passengers, secured the
handbrake and swung
the prop by hand. The engine burst into life and went to a
high power setting, the handbrake
failed and the Skylane headed off across the airport . The
pilot was unable to open the door
against the prop wash and threw himself on the tailplane where he
manipulated the elevators to
stop –EHU getting
airborne.
It finally ran into a ditch, tearing off the nose wheel before
careening into another ditch where it came to a sudden stop
. The pilot was flung clear over
the wing and
sustained serious injuries. Two of the passengers suffered
minor injuries. -EHU
was
repaired and in October 2016 was owned by Mt Augustus Station at
Meekatharra, WA.