On 2 July 1949, 18 people were killed when a DC3 aircraft crashed and burst into flames 15 seconds after it had taken off from Perth’s Guildford Airport, en route for Darwin. The plane took off in driving rain early in the morning. It is believed one engine cut out and the plane hit the ground with terrific force approximately one mile north of the runway. There was an explosion as hundreds of gallons of high octane petrol burst into flames.