HITCHCOCK, Robert Edward
| Service Number: | 115 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 June 1930 |
| Last Rank: | Flight Lieutenant |
| Last Unit: | No. 2 Squadron (RAAF) |
| Born: | Fremantle, Western Australia, 19 June 1912 |
| Home Town: | Perth, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Aircraft accident, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia , 13 August 1940, aged 28 years |
| Cemetery: |
Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Melbourne C. of E. Portion. Compt. J. Sec. 8. Grave 4, Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Springvale, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, No 2 Squadron RAAF Roll of Honour |
World War 2 Service
| 19 Jun 1930: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Jun 1930: | Enlisted Royal Australian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant, 115 | |
| 3 Sep 1939: | Involvement Flight Lieutenant, 115, No. 2 Squadron (RAAF) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
The aircraft had stalled on its approach into Canberra. The Hudson's short, stumpy fuselage made its centre of gravity critical. With undercarriage and flaps down for an approach, and with power applied, the Hudson could depart from flight severely into a sudden stall if airspeed was too slow. The Judicial Court of Inquiry found:
This accident ... emphasisefs] the necessity of impressing on pilots of machines of the type that crashed at Canberra the stalling characteristics of this type of aircraft and the necessity of approaching landing grounds with an ample safety factor of speed to avoid the danger of stalling at a height at which the pilot can have only the remotest chance of regaining control of the machine. This is a warning which seems particularly advisable where the landing is to be made at an aerodrome surrounded by hills the presence of which may set up air currents which may affect the equilibrium of the machine and raise the stalling speed.
Although it has subsequently been suggested that Fairbairn himself may have been flying on that fatal approach, this has never been supported by any evidence.
Biography contributed by David Barlow
Son of Henry Wyman Smith Hitchcock and Violet Elizabeth Hitchcock
Husband of Olive Blanche Hitchcock of East St. Kilda, Victoria
RAAF Lockheed Hudson aircraft A16-97 of Number 2 Squadron was on a VIP Flight when it crashed 2 miles east of Canberra Aerodrome, ACT
Passengers killed:
Brigadier G.A. Street (Minister for the Army)
General Sir Brudenell White (Chief of the General Staff)
Lieutenant Colonel F. Thornthwaite (Army Liaison Officer)
Mr J.V. Fairbairn (Minister for Air)
Sir Henry Gullett (Vice President Executive Council)
Mr R.E. Elford (Secretary to Air Minister)
Four RAAF crew members were killed in the crash:
Flight Lieutenant Robert Edward Hitchcock 115 (Aircraft Captain)
Pilot Officer Richard Frederick Wiesener 607 (Second Pilot)
Corporal John Frederick Palmer 2130
Aircraftman Charles Joseph Crosdale 6673
Pilot Officer Wiesener was cremated at Rookwood Crematorium and Aircraftsman Crosdale was buried in a private service at Cessnock. The other 8 fatalities were accorded a State Funeral in Melbourne.
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