After a bit of a break in this series, the next topdressing DC 3 (in alphabetical registration order) was ZK-BBJ:
ZK-BBJ photo'd above at Wairoa on 5/1/76 and below at Gisborne on 10/2/85.
Built by The Douglas Aircraft Co, Oklahoma City, OK with 2x 1200HP 14-cyl R-1830-92 Twin Wasp radial engines as 45-969 on 19 Jul 1945 for the USAAF
Exported to New Zealand, became NZ3552
16 Aug 1945 RNZAF.1 ASU, Hamilton.
RNZAF then 41 Sqn, Whenuapai.
Struck Off Charge 3 Jul 1952
ZK-BBJ 15 Jul 1952 NZ National Airways Corp, Wellington named “Piripiri” NZ cofa 12 Jun 1953
6 Jun 1953 conv to DC-3C passenger at Palmerston North
17 Mar 1964 converted to Skyliner configuration at Christchurch as “Skyliner Gisborne”
31 Aug 1970 Alpine Helicopters Ltd, Queenstown (leased).
29 May 1972 Fieldair Ltd, Palmerston North converted to topdresser Test Flight 4 Dec 1974
18 Nov 1980 Fieldair Holdings (Central) Ltd, Palmerston North
30 Mar 1984 Fieldair Holdings Ltd, Palmerston North
8 Feb 1988 Fieldair Freight Ltd, Palmerston North
Undercarriage collapsed during start up at Christchurch 15 Nov 1989
19 Apr 1993 Cambodia Carrying Co Ltd, Auckland
(Larry K. Bennett & John D B Donaldson) Cancelled 14 Sep 1994
Exported to Cambodia flown Ardmore to Norfolk Island to 21 Apr 1993.
Reported to be in Kenya in 1995.
Further details unknown.
ZK-BBJ (along with ZK-AMR) was operated in Cambodia by David Morris of Morris Catering who had won a United Nations contracts to supply food to UN personnel in Cambodia. After Cambodian contract finished, Morris Catering shifted their DC-3 operations to Africa for UN operations in Kenya and Somalia. In April 1995, shortly before the UN pulled out of Somalia, Dave Morris was kidnapped and killed by Islamic militants. Following Morris's death ZK-BBJ sat deteriorating at Mombassa in Kenya until 2021 when it was sold at auction for USD$300 as scrap to a local go-Kart track operator. ZK-BBJ was moved to the go- kart track where it was mounted and semi-restored for use as an event space. Unfortunately, on the the night of 13 April 2024 an electrical fault caused a fire which destroyed ZK-BBJ.
ReplyDeleteSee Dave Paull's update here - https://nzcivair.blogspot.com/2023/09/douglas-dc-3-zk-bbj-update.html
Stuff story on ZK-BBJ's history and the fire - https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/350249282/part-kiwi-aviation-history-destroyed-blaze-kenya