Do you remember the DROVER THAT RAN OUT OF FUEL AND CRASH LANDED ON A SANDBAR NEAR BAU ISLAND IN 1954?
On August 18, 1954, this a Fiji Airways Drover aircraft ran out of fuel and the pilot successfully ditched it. No one onboard sustained injuries.
The pilot of the crashed De Havilland DHA-3 Drover 2 was Captain F.P. Ladd, who was the company’s chief pilot then. He had been engaged in flying in Fiji since World War II.
While cruising at an altitude of 2500 feet on a flight from Savusavu to Suva, the pilot switched the fuel tank selector when all three engines lost power.
He attempted an emergency landing on a sandbar near Bau Island, but all undercarriage collapsed on landing and the aircraft came to rest.
All eight occupants evacuated the cabin safely while the aircraft was later damaged beyond repair by salty water.
Investigations into the crash landing of the Drover were done by RNZAF Squadron-Leader H.C. Salmon and he confirmed the cause of the accident. It was due to the failure of the pilot to turn off the port fuel tank cork before that tank became empty.
Information Source: Fiji Museum
About the Now and Then Fiji
‘Now and Then Fiji’ is a group on Facebook consisting of enthusiasts of photographs of Fiji once upon a time and today.
Terry Hulme is the admin of the ‘Now and Then Fiji’ Facebook group. He has approved of the photos and information from his page.
These two pictures were featured in the Now and Then Fiji Facebook Group.
‘Now and Then’ Facebook group prompts members to respond on the spot and pass on their own experiences of times and places gone by. If you have old photos in your physical or digital album and would like them to feature in our column, please email them to