Final Flight, Death & Legacy
From the Apennines to the stars
Final Flight – 7 January 1933
Departed London in a Puss Moth aiming to break the England–Australia record. Disappeared.
Discovery
On 27 April 1933 the wreckage and body were found on the northern slopes of Pratomagno in the Italian Apennines. Evidence shows he survived the crash but later died of injuries and exposure.
Funeral
State funeral with full military honours ordered by Benito Mussolini. Buried Cimitero degli Allori, Florence, 1 May 1933.
The Challenger Connection
In early 1986 a small piece of wood from one of Hinkler’s 1911 gliders was presented to astronaut Don Lind. Lind gave it to Commander Dick Scobee, who carried it on the Space Shuttle Challenger. After the disaster the fragment was recovered from the Atlantic and returned to the Hinkler Hall of Aviation in Bundaberg.
Broader Legacy
- Federal Division of Hinkler (Queensland)
- Hinkler Hall of Aviation & Hinkler House Museum, Bundaberg
- Parks, streets and memorials throughout Queensland
- 1978 Australia Post stamp
- Australian Aviation Hall of Fame (2012)
- Memorials and “Hinkler Ring” walking track at the crash site in Italy
“A man without fear… a flying genius.”
Further Reading
For a detailed modern biography of Bert Hinkler, see R.D. Mackenzie’s Solo The Bert Hinkler Story (2012). It draws on extensive research and remains one of the most accessible accounts of his life and flights.