Gander

Flight Type:

Military

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On final approach to Gander Airport, following a flight from England, the aircraft stalled and crashed 10 miles from the airfield. Two passengers were seriously injured while 19 other occupants were killed.

Probable cause:

All four engines failed on approach due to fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Consolidated 28-5AMC Canso in Gander: 4 killed

Date & Time: Jan 7, 1943 at 1000 LT

Type of aircraft:

Consolidated Canso

Operator:

Registration:

9737

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En route, the seaplane encountered turbulence, lost altitude, hit tree tops and crashed in flames in a wooded area along Gander Lake. Four crew members were killed while three others were injured.

Crash of a Lockheed L-414 Hudson VI in Gander: 4 killed

Date & Time: Dec 6, 1942 at 0021 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed L-414 Hudson

Operator:

Registration:

FK690

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Delivery

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

414-7166

YOM:

1943

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Consolidated B-24 Liberator

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Circumstances:

One minute after takeoff from Gander Airport, while climbing by night, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a wooded area, killing all four crew members. They were engaged in a transatlantic delivery flight to England.
Crew:
P/O Ronald George Stanley Burrows, pilot,
Sgt Douglas Percy Charles Simmons, pilot,
P/O Graeme Hamilton Thomson, navigator,
Sgt Jack Eric Fazel, radio operator.
Source & photo:
http://www.planecrashgirl.ca/2016/05/18/rafhudson-fk690/

Crash of a Consolidated B-24D-CO Liberator into the Atlantic Ocean: 5 killed

Date & Time: Nov 24, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

41-11650

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Delivery

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Gander – Prestwick

MSN:

146

YOM:

1941

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Disappeared over the North Atlantic Ocean while performing a delivery flight from the US to England via Gander and Prestwick. All five occupants were presumed dead as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was ever found.

Crash of a Lockheed PV-1 Ventura near Benton

Date & Time: Nov 18, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed PV-1 Ventura

Operator:

Registration:

AJ471

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Delivery

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

4609

YOM:

1942

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The aircraft was ferried overseas when it crashed in a pond located near Benton, about 15 km southeast of Gander Airport. All seven crew members were rescued while the aircraft was destroyed.
Source & photo :
http://www.planecrashgirl.ca/2016/05/04/ventruaaj471/

Crash of a Vought-Sikorsky VS-44 in the Botwood Bay: 11 killed

Date & Time: Oct 3, 1942 at 1905 LT

Type of aircraft:

Vought-Sikorsky VS-44

Operator:

Registration:

NC41880

Flight Phase:

Takeoff (climb)

Flight Type:

Scheduled Revenue Flight

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

New York – Gander – Keflavik – Shannon – London

MSN:

4401

YOM:

Flight number:

AEA071

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Captain / Total flying hours:

6000

Captain / Total hours on type:

400.00

Copilot / Total flying hours:

3350

Copilot / Total hours on type:

345

Circumstances:

Shortly after take off from Botwood Bay, some 50 km northwest of Gander, while climbing, the seaplane lost height and crashed into the sea few hundred yards off shore. Eleven occupants, among them five crew members, were killed. 26 other occupants were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

Probable cause:

The copilot was in command at the time of the accident. While climbing, the aircraft stalled and crashed into the sea due to a false trailing edge flaps position to 35°. According to investigations, it appears that crew did not complete the preflight briefing and the copilot was not sufficiently familiarized with this type of aircraft. The security system in charge to position the trailing edge flaps in a safety angle for the climbing procedure has been disconnected during a previous flight for unknown reasons. The crew did not realize the trailing edge flaps were deployed at 35° and the alarm coupled to this system did not activate because it was on OFF position.

Final Report:

Crash of a Lockheed C-60A-5-LO LodeStar in Gander: 3 killed

Date & Time: May 8, 1942 at 0010 LT

Type of aircraft:

Lockheed C-60 LodeStar

Operator:

Registration:

557

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Cargo

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Moncton – Gander

MSN:

18-2377

YOM:

1943

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Circumstances:

Lodestar 557 departed Moncton. New Brunswick, at 2345 GMT on 7 May 1943 on a cargo transport flight to Gander. At 0313 GMT the following day, the aircraft contacted the Aerodrome Control Officer at Gander Station to request landing clearance. The aircraft was given landing clearance by P/O Thomas Howard Murray, aerodrome control officer, and was told to check their wheels down. The messages were acknowledged by 557. At this time the ceiling was practically unlimited. The aircraft was heard to pass over Gander airfield shortly thereafter, but the ceiling had unexpectedly fallen to 700 feet. This lowering of the ceiling possibly meant that ice may have formed on the aerials. It is unlikely that icing would have occurred on the wings or engines. This fly over was apparently done on instruments. The Lodestar contacted the Control Officer to indicate they had missed the field and were to try again. The aircraft then acknowledged being given the ceiling height and barometric pressure by the station. At this point, the landing of the aircraft on the control tower side was taken over by the station manager of Trans Canada Airlines (TCA), Mr. Harry Beardsell. The aircraft was carrying cargo and under the operational control of TCA and therefore should be under TVA radio coverage. Instructions were passed to the aircraft by TCA as to the proper landing procedures for Gander, and these were acknowledged. The aircraft broke through the now 600 ft. ceiling, and was advised to circle and approach runway 27 (note, runway 27 is no longer in use at YQX; ourairports.com). At this point, TCA spoke directly to the pilot. According to Beardsell, he advised Svendsen to make one more attempt before proceeding to Sydney where the ceiling was at 1000 ft. and visibility was 3 miles. P/O Murray, who was listening to the communications between the control tower and Lodestar 557 denied that the aircraft was advised of a secondary landing location. According to the radio log, it was actually Lodestar 557 who suggested that it would try for one more landing and if not successful would return to Sydney and TCA seconded the decision. The aircraft approached, but seemed to be lined up with the wrong runway and was advised to circle again and attempt runway 27. P/O Murray believed that the boundary lights were confusing 557, causing it to line up with the wrong runway, so he switched off the lights and informed the aircraft through Beardsell. One the second attempt, the aircraft did not turn enough and was again told that it would probably not make it to the runway and to attempt again. The aircraft was told to make a right turn over the field near the airport, but it could be seen that the aircraft would not make the turn successfully. The pilot was advised to pull up two or three times by TCA, but at this point 557 was in a steep bank and went into a stall, losing altitude until it crashed. One witness saw the aircraft moments before the crash and stated it was flying very low at 200 ft. with engines functioning properly. The crash was indicated by a flash followed by a second, brighter flash, indicating it had crashed and was burning. Fire trucks and ambulances were dispatched to the scene. It crashed at 0340 GMT on 8 May 1943 approximately two miles east of the RCAF Station in Gander. All crew were killed.
Crew (164th Squadron):
Wo2 H. Svendsen, pilot,
Wo2 C. H. Allen, pilot,
Lac A. G. Sewell, wireless operator.
Source & photo:
http://www.planecrashgirl.ca/2016/03/17/lodestar-557/

Probable cause:

The aircraft had been certified as airworthy and in serviceable condition; the pilot, WO2 Svendsen, was fully qualified to fly a Lodestar in all conditions, and had twice flown the same route to Gander on transportation flights. The cause of the crash was determined to be “pilot error, while attempting to get into position to make approach under low ceiling” (Mulvihill 1943). The aircraft slipped or stalled after changing from a left turn to a right turn in an attempt to realign with the runway. Because it was already in low altitude, the slip or stall caused it to strike the trees while trying to recover from the turn. The report recommends safety changes to the airbase. As Lodestar 557 had to make a final attempt because it had aligned with the wrong runway, the report determined that the runway lighting system of the RCAF station in Gander was confusing and should be studied and improved.

Crash of a Douglas Digby I in Gander

Date & Time: Mar 26, 1942 at 1035 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas B-18 Bolo

Operator:

Registration:

753

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Gander - Gander

MSN:

1645

YOM:

1936

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Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress

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Captain / Total flying hours:

974

Captain / Total hours on type:

735.00

Circumstances:

The crew was completing practice instrument approaches at Gander Airport. On short final, at a height of 20 feet, the airplane stalled and the wing dropped. Full power was added but the airplane bounced lightly on its undercarriage. The wing caught on runway boundary snowbank 30 yards from point wheels touched the runway and the airplane crashed. All four crew members escaped uninjured.
Crew:
F/Lt E. M. William, pilot,
P/O D. F. Raymes, copilot,
P/O Johnson, wireless operator,
Sgt Corbitt, wireless operator.

Probable cause:

Error in judgment on part of the pilot, in that he commenced to level out for landing at too great a height and allowed the airplane to stall while at 20 feet.

Final Report:

Crash of a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress in Gander

Date & Time: Jan 9, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Operator:

Registration:

41-2393

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

2204

YOM:

1941

Location:

Country:

Region: