Canada

The passenger and the pilot were engaged in a reconnaissance flight following the recent disappearance of an airplane. In unknown circumstances, the single engine aircraft crashed near Carpenter Lake, killing both occupants.

Crew became lost during a survey flight, most probably due to a weather deterioration. Pilot ditched the aircraft in the icy Melville Lake located off Goose bay but the aircraft battered by ice flow and eventually sank. The crew left the cabin and found refuge in dinghies. Unfortunately, all attempts made for rescue were unsuccessful and all eight occupants were never found.
Crew:
W. E. McNicholl 7.

The single engine aircraft departed Port Alice at approximately 1350LT. The winds were out of the southeast and the aircraft took off into the wind in the direction of the head of Neroutsos Inlet. Once airborne the aircraft banked to the left, straightening out on a northwest heading in the direction of Coal Harbour. Now flying with the wind, somewhere over the mill site the aircraft experienced a sudden downdraft, possibly due to the warmer air over the mill area. The aircraft lost lift and entered a stall. In order to regain from the stall the nose of the aircraft was pushed down and power applied but as the Norseman aircraft were under powered a recovery was not possible. The aircraft was heading directly into a rooming house and homes along the main street of the town site. The only place not inhabited was the ball field, just over top of the general store to the right. The aircraft banked right from its flight path, stalled completely, and crashed into the unoccupied ball field near the fuel storage tanks. Sgt Powell, Major Moore and L/Br Scrivenor were killed instantly. W/O Eccles, severely injured was trapped in the wreckage as fuel leaking from the aircraft wreckage ignited and the aircraft caught fire. Sgt. Barker had been thrown clear of the crash on impact. Injured and dazed, Sgt Barker regained his thoughts and made numerous desperate attempts to enter the burning wreckage fighting off the flames and finally succeeded in rescuing W/O Eccles from burning to death. Despite the heroic efforts of Sgt Barker, W/O Eccles later died in the Port Alice Hospital as a result of his injuries.
Pilot:
WOII J. J. Eccles. †
Passengers:
Sgt H. R. Barker,
Major J. J. Moore, paymaster, †
Sgt L. A. Powell, accounts, †
L/Br E. G. Scrivenor, security. †
Source & photos: http://www.101nisquadron.org/?page_id=690

The airplane took off from runway 27 into the wind in 'a normal manner'. It was departing Gander for RAF Valley, Wales. According to the crash report, the aircraft climbed steeply – so steeply that one witness, F/O Fisher, remarked that the climb was similar to that of a single engine bomber rather than a B-17 – to about 500 to 600 feet then banked to the left to turn to the south. At approximately 15 degrees into the turn, the nose of the aircraft dropped suddenly. Cpl. George W. Stiffler witnessed the crash from the Gander Control Tower, and stated that the engines did not appear to be having trouble, with the exception that three engines were exhausting blue flame and the #1 engine was exhausting yellow flame. The aircraft was still in a turn when it crashed. Witnesses and investigators agree that the left wing touched first, the aircraft caught fire immediately, skidded several hundred feet, and then exploded with flames shooting 500 to 600 feet into the air. All ten crew members were killed.
Crew:
1st Lt Bruce E. Ryan, pilot,
2nd Lt Stephen A. Wooten, pilot,
2nd Lt John J. Gentile, navigator,
Sgt Charles Thayer, flight engineer,
Cpl Frederick A. Norton, radio operator,
2nd Lt Ballard D. McCain, pilot,
2nd Lt Paul J. Lineham, navigator,
S/Sgt Thomas R. Killela, flight engineer,
Sgt Howard W. Nightower, radio operator,
Sgt Daniel L. Boucher, gunner.
Source & photo:
http://www.planecrashgirl.ca/2017/01/10/usaaf-b-17-and-thdf/

During the take off run, the aircraft hit a snowdrift, causing an engine to catch fire. The take off procedure was interrupted and the aircraft was stopped on the runway. While there were no casualties, the aircraft was considered as damaged beyond repair.

The engine failed en route, forcing the pilot to attempt an emergency landing. The aircraft came to rest in a prairie and was damaged beyond repair. The pilot Bernard F. Thompson was slightly injured.

The crew was completing a cargo flight from Goose Bay to Fort Pepperrell AFB located in St John's, with a load of jeep spare parts on board. While on approach in marginal weather conditions, the aircraft was too low, hit tree tops and crashed in a dense wooded area. Two crew members were rescued while the pilot Lee D. Graham was killed.

Shortly after take off from Toronto-Malton Airport, while in initial climb, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a field. While all occupants evacuated safely, the aircraft was written off.

A few days prior to 27 October 1943, USAAF Major Allen and RCAF Flight Commander F/O Taylor discussed making an "air fighting practice flight" where they would spend an afternoon "chasing each other around for a while". The plan was that they would start their flights at a sufficient distance from each other that neither would have an advantage, then they would turn into each other as if to attack. It was agreed that in the case of head on attacks, they would break away to port. On 27 October 1943, F/O Taylor in an RCAF Hurricane and a crew of four including Major Allen in an A-20C (registration unknown) took off just before 1700 GMT and flew south west of the aerodrome. According to the testimony of F/O Taylor, when we turned in at approximately 3,000 yds. apart it placed us at a position head on to one another – I, slightly below the Boston; the Boston as diving and I as climbing through about 200 ft. As the distance between us decreased to about 300 yds. the Boston pulled up gradually and turned slightly to port while I turned slightly to port also; it was here I thought we had ample clearance. Then at about 100 yds. the Boston made a rapid and very decisive movement downwards, as if, in my opinion, he was either fixing his sights on me or had lost me for an instant. The upward movement, although begun, was never completed because it was at this instant that our wings collided. We were both turning slightly to port when this movement or manœuvre occurred. As the aircraft brushed right wings, the wing immediately broke off of the Hurricane and the aircraft went into a tight spin. The pilot abandoned the aircraft and parachuted to safety. The other aircraft dove into the ground and crashed, killing all four crew members.
Crew:
Maj Sobey F. Allen, pilot,
2nd Lt Jack K. Schaffner, bombardier,
Sgt Pless E. Moore Jr., radio operator,
Pvt George M. Haynes, gunner.
Source & photo: Lisa Daly

The aircraft was returning to Canada from the European War Theater with 20 soldiers in permission and a crew of four. After a fuel stop in Gander, the aircraft continued its route to Mont-Joli Airfield. While cruising by night and in snow falls at an altitude of 2,871 feet, the aircraft hit the slope of the Black Mountain (Montagne Noire) located near Saint-Donat, in the Laurentides. SAR operations were conducted for several weeks and 728 reconnaissance flights for a total of 2,438 flying hours were completed without success. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. Eventually, the wreckage was found by hikers on June 26, 1946. In 2015, this accident is still considered as the worst in the RCAF History.
Crew (10th Squadron):
F/Lt J. A. R. Poirier, pilot,
F/O S. A. Sanderson, copilot,
F/Lt R. F. Fisher,
F/O J. S. Johnston.
Passengers:
W/O J. A. Barabonoff,
W/O F. E. Jenkins,
W/O J. Silverstein,
W/O W. I. Howlett,
P/O J. Lamont,
P/O R. W. McDonald,
Sgt E. M. Finn,
Sgt W. J. Macnaughton,
Sgt R. F. Ware,
Sgt F. H. Elliot,
Cpl H. D. Beattie,
LAC C. L. Dynes,
Cpl A. C. Johnston,
Sgt S. A. Wood,
LAC J. A. J. P. Veilleux,
LAC G. R. Patterson,
Cpl H. K. Hambley,
Cpl R. D. Marr,
LAC E. W. Head,
LAC A. J. Radcliffe.