XWS160

1942-JAN-30 · Off the Noelmini River mouth, West Timor, Dutch East Indies (10°10'S 123°35'E)

Qantas — Flight XWS160

A Qantas Short Empire flying boat, named Corio, was shot down by seven Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters while en route to pick up refugees in the Dutch East Indies. The aircraft was flying at low altitude approximately 13 nautical miles from West Timor when it was intercepted. Despite the captain's attempts to evade the attack by flying a zig-zag pattern at maximum speed just above the waves, the aircraft sustained heavy fire, caught fire in two engines, and impacted the sea nose-first at high speed. The fuselage broke in two upon impact, and 13 of the 18 people on board were killed.

Aircraft

Short Empire S.23

Registration

G-AEUH

Phase

Initial Approach

Cause

Souls on Board

Fatalities

Origin → Dest

Darwin International Airport, Australia → Kupang, West Timor

Report

Investigation Summary

The Corio was operating a special mission during the early stages of the Pacific War, flying from Darwin to Kupang and then to Surabaya to evacuate refugees fleeing the Japanese invasion of Java. The aircraft, originally registered as VH-ABD and later G-AEUH, was flying at an altitude of only 400 feet when the attack began. Captain A. A. 'Aub' Koch attempted to reach the coast, pushing the flying boat to its maximum speed of approximately 200 mph. The Japanese Zero pilots repeatedly strafed the airliner, killing several passengers in their seats before the aircraft hit the water near the mouth of the Noelmini River. Captain Koch was thrown from the wreckage and, despite being wounded in the arm and leg, swam for three hours to reach the shore. He and four other survivors were eventually rescued by a Royal Netherlands Navy Dornier Do 24 flying boat.

Final Conclusions

The loss of the aircraft was directly caused by military action by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. The unarmed civilian airliner was unable to defend itself or outrun the Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters. This event remains one of the deadliest attacks on a civilian airliner during World War II.

Video Analysis

No video analysis linked for this case file yet.

Systems & Failure Modes

Short S.23 Empire Flying Boat

A four-engine long-range flying boat airliner designed for mail and passenger service. It lacked defensive armament and armor, making it highly vulnerable to fighter aircraft.

Mitsubishi A6M Zero

A long-range fighter aircraft operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy, known for its high maneuverability and armament of 20mm cannons and 7.7mm machine guns.

Interesting Facts

01The aircraft was a Short S.23 Empire flying boat named 'Corio'.
02Thirteen of the 18 occupants were killed, including two crew members and 11 passengers.
03The attack was carried out by seven Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters.
04Captain Aub Koch survived the crash and later survived another shootdown and a separate crash of a Short Empire flying boat (the 'Camilla') in 1943.
05The aircraft was flying at its maximum speed of approximately 200 mph during the evasion attempt.
06Five people survived the impact and were rescued by a Dutch Dornier Do 24: Captain Koch, two other crew members, and two passengers.