The 1938 Mount Dandenong plane crash that sent shockwaves through the country’s air traffic control systems
One of Australia’s deadliest aviation disasters sparked drastic reforms across the industry.
Matthew Sims
May 26, 2026
On a peaceful mid-afternoon in October 1938, the sound of tearing metal and fuel catching alight ripped through air at Mount Dandenong.
A small airliner with 18 people on board had crashed, killing the 14 passengers and four crew members onboard and kicking off what would become major reforms to Australia’s modern air traffic control system.
😲 Devastating scenes: Reports in the Sun-News Pictorial said the plane hit the earth at between 240 and 320 kilometres per hour, shattering into thousands of fragments.
The plane was a Douglas DC-2 twin-engine named Kyeema, owned and operated by Australian National Airways. Image Credit: State Library of Queensland
The flight took off from Adelaide at about 11.20am on its way to Essendon, but overshot its destination and crashed into Mount Dandenong at about 1.43pm – with a gold watch found in the wreckage stopped at that time.
Two or three minutes after the crash, a petrol tank exploded, immediately making an attempt to rescue any survivors impossible.
The Federal MP for the South Australian seat of Wakefield, Charles Hawker, was among those who died in the crash.
🧑⚖️ The aftermath: The Federal Government acted quickly following the disaster, launching an inquiry with the Air Accidents Investigation Committee only three days later.
The inquiry handed down its report in December 1938, arguing an “error of observation” by pilot Alfred Webb was the main cause of the collision. When Webb said they were passing over Daylesford, they were likely over Sunbury or Gisborne – about 60 kilometres beyond where they thought they were.
However, the committee also found that if the high-frequency navigation radio beacons that were awaiting government approval had been switched on, the error could have been avoided.
What we now know as the modern aircraft traffic control system arose from the inquiry, with radio operators required to keep pilots abreast of their position, weather conditions and alternative landing options.
👣 What’s left? The Mount Dandenong Historical Society helped erect and unveil a memorial marking the site on the 40th anniversary of the crash, adding an additional plaque in 2003 listing all those who died.
Visitors to Mount Dandenong can walk along the Kyeema Track, a 1.5 kilometre walking trail named after the plane that connects the memorial site to Ridge Road – or head 200 metres south-west to Burke’s Lookout.