Photo above supplied by Peter Petter Bowyer

Dakota accident Fort Hill Nyasaland 3 July 1959

The DC 4 photographed the week it arrived at New Sarum.
Tail shows the contemporary RRAF tail markings

Ron Stevens writes:
The attached photos I took one Sunday morning at New Sarum. It was the first Canadair DC4M(ARGONAUT) to arrive. These pictures were taken just a few days after. I have no idea of the date but it was sometime in late 1959 or early 1960, I think.
The aircraft were ex BOAC.

Photo sent to this web site by ORAFS.

No 3 Squadron 1962
(Click on photo for wide screen view)

Back Row:?,?,M. Tech Doug Smith,?,?,?,?,Barry Whiteley,?,?,?,?, Les Johnstone, ?
Third Row:?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?
Second Row: Ken Edwards, ?, Bill Smith, ?, ?, Bill Jelley,
Front Row:?, Mick Grier. Peter Knobel, ?, ?, George Alexander, John Rogers, ?, Brian Horney







Douglas C47:
VIP Dakota No 7036
Rhodesian Air Force Livery

(PhotographRRAF)




Chaminuka lies dead on Rushinga runway following an intentional ground loop when the brakes failed.
(A/C number 7303)
Date: 28.02.1975

(Photograph RRAF)














Interior damage in Chaminuka after the port propeller had sliced into the cabin immediately behind the left hand seat.

(PhotographRRAF)





Chaminuka port side showing damage caused by propeller as it entered the cabin.

(Photograph RRAF)

No 3 Squadron Annual Photograph circa 1972

(Top Row):
?,?.?,?,?,Dave ?,Jock Bain, ?,?,Frank Robinson
(Middle Row):
?, David Barber (VR), ?, John Matthews (VR), Willie Armitage, Willie McMurdo, John Boresjzo, ?, Dave ?, George Walker Smith (VR), Ed Paintin, Frank Wingrove (VR)
(Front Row):
Tony Smit, Galloway, Mec Geering, Ivan Holtshausen, George Alexander (Sqn Cdr) Bob de Hotman, Mike Russell, Derek Nightingale, Gerry Lynch (VR)'
(Photograph RRAF)

Dakota Formation, unknown date
Photo supplied by K. Milligan via ORAFs

A superb photo of the three ship Dakota formation en route to the Chimoio strike.

All three show the later anti Strela camouflage paint used on all types in Rhodesia.
On the far Dak, you can clearly see the anti Strela mod fitted to the engine exhaust.
The Dak with serial 53 (nearest camera) is one of the original Daks to SRAF/RRAF, and 03 (leading) is ex-SAAF 6841 taken on charge 7.02.64.
Photo above supplied by Peter Petter Bowyer.

31 May 1977: 3702 Shot down during T/O from Mapai

Bruce Collocott (16PTC) was killed when shot by RPG7 during the dusk take-off from Mapai airfield at the end of Op Aztec (the assault on Madulo Pan). The aircraft was flying out captured munitions. It burnt out completely but the despatcher, the co-pilot Jerry Lynch, and the engineer just managed to escape the inferno. Bruce's body could not be recovered till the next morning.
Photo above supplied by Prop Geldenhuys.

Dakota 3711 17th April 1980
This is the end of the airtest to check that the carburettor modifications done to the engines were acceptable after the change to 100LL fuel. This was the last Dak to have been converted, and was the one that gave the most trouble, having done numerous air tests before this one.
The crew were Flt Lt Spider Webb, Air Lt Rob Rogerson, with SAC Frans Fyfer as scribe. According to Fransie, the test on each engine went well, and it had passed at long last. The trouble came when restarting the second engine. Frans was standing between the pilots when he saw hands flashing about and he was told, in graphic terms, to get buckled in. As he did so, they hit the water, and in true Dak fashion, the left hand prop appeared through the fuselage into the area that he had just vacated !!! They all escaped out of the top escape hatch onto the top af the fuselage, and shouted to a local with a boat to hurry up and resue them, which he did, and landed them ashore without them even getting their feet wet, while the Dak slowly slipped from view (photo below).
Photo taken from Rhodesia Herald, supplied by Kevin Milligan through ORAFS

Photo taken by Air Force of Zimbabwe, supplied by Kevin Milligan through ORAFS

Dakota 3711 passing through Salisbury 1981 following the accident. It never flew again.

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