Australian National Airways - DC 4 crash

On the 26th of June 1950, a Douglas DC-4 Skymaster aircraft took off from Perth (PER/YPPH), Western Australia, bound for an eight-hour journey to Adelaide (ADL/YPAD), South Australia. Just 22 minutes after departure, the plane crashed 35 miles (56 km) east of Perth Airport. After departure the number four engine, which was misfiring, had been shut down by the flight crew and subsequently the remaining three engines had all failed for indeterminate periods. The crew turned left in an attempt to return to the airport. In a 15 degree turn the aircraft barely cleared a ridge line, struck a tree 30 feet off the ground and ploughed into a downward slope. The crash claimed the lives of all 29 people on board; one person initially survived but succumbed to injuries six days later, marking it as Australia's worst civil aviation disaster to date.

As the plane headed east over Perth's outskirts, numerous witnesses noted its unusually low altitude compared to the standard Skymaster services, with at least one engine misfiring and backfiring consistently. In the moments leading up to the crash, varying engine sounds were reported – at times functioning normally, at others ceasing entirely, followed by a loud, high-pitched "scream." Weeks later, an examination of the damaged engines revealed considerable corrosion in the fuel systems of two engines. Preliminary findings by the Department of Civil Aviation suggested that water-induced corrosion led to the malfunctioning of at least one engine and a temporary total loss of power. 

However, the source of the water remained unidentified.

Of the 29 individuals aboard, all but one perished at the site from extensive injuries, burns, or incineration. An elderly male passenger, found disoriented and injured by the first responders, was the sole survivor. Despite being hospitalized with severe burns, he passed away six days following the accident.

The aircraft was the Amana, a Douglas DC-4-1009 registered VH-ANA (MSN 42910) and the flagship of the Australian National Airways fleet. It flew for the first time on the 28th of January 1946 and was flown to Australia on the 9th of February 1946.