as first entrant into a then-deregulated domestic aviation market. Under the new ownership east–west was retained as an independent entity. Skywest Holdings announced in May 1985 it planned to merge both Skywest Airlines and east–west, but this was not carried out except for some harmonisation of timetables. In 1985 East-West challenged the Two Airline Policy in the Federal Court. In July 1987 East-West and Skywest were sold to Perth car dealer Perron Group which sold them on by the end of the month to Ansett Transport Industries. It continued to operate as a separate entity until 1993 when its operations were integrated with those of Ansett and the east–west name ceased to be used. The maintenance facility at Tamworth Airport was converted to a bus body factory by fellow Ansett subsidiary Ansair in 1993. Accidents and incidents On Wednesday 12 October 1949 an East-West Airlines Avro Anson plane crashed just after taking off from Tamworth. Four passengers escaped injury. The pilot, Captain John Lachlan Rentell, 35, had his right foot partly severed at the ankle, sustained internal injuries and deep wounds to the face and arms. He avoided a tree by turning the machine into a steep bank, headed north-west towards his best clearance and then turning south put the plane down. Aerodrome mechanics observed that the engines sounded sluggish and did not appear to be picking-up properly. On 5 December 1950, an East-West Airlines Avro Anson crashed at Zanatta's property in Pozieres, in the Southern Downs Region, Queensland. The plane was en route from Eagle Farm Airport (Brisbane) to Armidale Airport when one engine caught fire, filling the cockpit with smoke. The aircraft suffered extensive damage on impact, although the pilot and two passengers were unharmed. On 4 November 1957, an east–west Douglas DC-3 with 27 people on board took off from Sydney Airport en route to Tamworth Airport. When the aircraft reached a height of 61 metres (200 feet), the No.1 engine began to backfire and lose power. The pilot tried to shut down the faulty engine, but mistakenly shut down the working No.2 engine. The pilot tried to return to the airport for an emergency landing, but the plane had lost too much height. It crashed into a lake approximately north of the airport, with a depth of 4 metres (13 feet) of water, 46 metres (150 feet) from the nearest bank. All 27 people on board