The Kaimai Air Disaster – July 3 1963

On a stormy winter morning sixty-three years ago, New Zealand experienced its worst domestic aviation disaster to date. On 3 July 1963, National Airways Corporation (NAC) Flight 441, a Douglas DC-3 Skyliner named Hastings, departed Auckland’s Whenuapai Airport bound for Tauranga. It never arrived. Caught in gale-force winds and a severe downdraft (2,000 feet per minute!), the aircraft was carried below the mountain peaks, striking a vertical rock face near Mount Ngatamahinerua in the Kaimai Ranges. All 23 people on board, including 20 passengers and 3 crew members lost their lives.

 

The remoteness of the rugged terrain and the treacherous weather meant search teams struggled for days to reach the site. The impact of the tragedy changed New Zealand aviation forever, forcing a complete reclassification of mountainous flight paths and establishing stricter regulations for minimum safe altitudes and localized radar instrumentation.

Following the recovery, Purewa was entrusted with the care of many of those lost, including several passengers who were laid to rest within our grounds. The flight’s pilots were cremated at Purewa.

 

For Purewa, this undertaking was and remains to this day a sacred calling. Every cremation is conducted with the exact same level of dignity, reverence, and attention as a traditional funeral service or burial. For Purewa, honouring a life means ensuring that their final journey is handled with absolute care, serving as a quiet, respectful sanctuary for families and a touchpoint for remembrance.

 

Among those honoured and remembered at Purewa were the two men at the controls of Flight 441:

 

Captain Leonard Derek Enchmarch:

Born in Auckland in 1928, Captain Enchmarch was an experienced pilot. He began his aviation journey in the early 1950s as a cadet, earning a commission as an Acting Pilot Officer with the Regular Air Force in 1923. He then transitioning to the Air Force Reserve as a Pilot Officer in 1954. By 1963, he was a respected Captain for NAC. He was just 35 years old when Flight 441 crashed, leaving behind a loving wife and three young daughters.

 

First Officer Peter George Guinness Kissell:

Serving alongside Captain Enchmarch was First Officer Kissell, the flight’s co-pilot. A dedicated airman committed to his profession, he worked with the crew, including air hostess Elizabeth Wilson, to navigate the horrific weather conditions that overwhelmed their aircraft.

 

Buried at Purewa :

Leonard John James Cartmer –  46 years old, a Senior Meat Inspector for the Department of Agriculture.

Edward Lionel Goddard –   37 years old, General Manager of General Foods in Auckland, married with four children.

 

Cremated at Purewa:

Leslie Frederick Taylor – On a business trip for the refrigeration and air conditioning department of Jas. J. Niven and Co. Ltd, married with one daughter.  Entry in the Book of Remembrance.

Diane Veronica Taylor – 27 years old, visiting a sister in Rotorua, mother of two. Ashes scattered at Purewa.

John Smith – 42 years old, Sales Manager for Wilson and Horton, married with three children. Memorial plaque on plot Z/17/26.