British Columbia

While cruising at an altitude of 1,800 feet, the twin engine aircraft hit the slope of a mountain located in Halfmoon Bay. The wreckage was spotted by the crew of a RCAF helicopter three days later. A day later, on December 9, rescuers arrived on site. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.

During an instrument approach to Comox Airbase, while flying in poor weather conditions, the aircraft went out of control and crashed in a swampy area. All seven passengers were killed while both pilots were injured. It was later confirmed by the RCAF that the Lancaster was scheduled on this flight to replace a Canso that suffered an engine failure earlier that day.
Crew:
F/O Ruff F. Johnson, pilot,
F/O Monte J. Wright, copilot,
F/O Joseph Frederick Doucette, navigator, †
Cpl George Stanley Fletcher, flight engineer. †
Passengers:
F/Sgt Joseph Leo Laurier Maynard, †
A1c Vernon Joseph McIntyre, †
Cpl Freeman Archibald McKay, †
A1c Wayne Frederick Smith, †
A1c Roy Howard Walsh, †
Malcolm G. McLeod. †

Flight 324 departed Elmendorf Air Force Base at 2111, January 18, with the same 40 passengers who had enplaned at Haneda Air Force Base, Tokyo. The aircraft had 2,600 gallons of fuel and 100 gallons of oil aboard. Gross weight at takeoff was 68,275 pounds (permissible 71,800), and the load was properly distributed with relation to the center of gravity. The flight climbed to the 10,000-foot assigned altitude and at 2213, shortly after passing Middleton Island, requested permission to descend to 8,000 feet. ARTC cleared the flight to descend and the new cruising altitude was reached at 2222. The trip was uneventful until opposite Sitka, Alaska, when the pilot reported, at 0003 (January 19), that No. 1 propeller had been feathered. In another radio transmission (0029), the pilot ascribed the trouble to a "broken" oil cooler, and advised that the flight was proceeding to Sandspit. In other transmissions, he requested weather forecasts for Annette, Sandspit, and Port Hardy. Following receipt of this information, which revealed that Annette weather was below minimums, he again advised that a precautionary landing would be made at Sandspit, and gave 0128 as the estimated time of arrival. The flight was cleared to that point and proceeded without further incident on three engines. The aircraft touched down at a point about one-third down the runway. After a short roll, power was applied at about the mid-point of the strip and the aircraft took off, barely clearing a low fence and driftwood which was approximately two feet high at the end of the runway. After it failed to reappear at the approach end of the landing strip, the Sandspit radio operator discovered from the shouting of survivors that the flight had crashed in Hecate Strait. The radio operator immediately sent notification messages to place Search and Rescue facilities in operation. The wreckage could not be seen because of limited visibility, In company with a Canadian customs official, he launched his small boat and effected the rescue of the seven survivors standing on and clinging to the right wing tip of the partially submerged aircraft. Following the alerting of Search and Rescue facilities, messages were relayed by Annette Flight Control to two other aircraft in the area. They attempted to light the area with flares and locate the wreckage, but were unsuccessful in their efforts.

The aircraft left Kildala at 1532 bound for Vancouver carrying twenty passengers and a crew of three. At 1733 the aircraft reported over Sullivan Bay and gave its ETA Vancouver as 1840. At 1825 the ETA Vancouver was revised to 1903 on account of strong southeast winds. The next and last radio transmission received was at 1848 when the aircraft reported it was 20 miles west of Vancouver at 2,000 feet and requested clearance to the tower frequency. At approximately 1855 hours the aircraft crashed into Mount Benson. All occupants were killed and the aircraft was destroyed.

Crashed in unknown circumstances while approaching Garibaldi Lake. All five occupants were injured and the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

En route, the visibility became very poor due to smoke coming from a forest fire. Approaching Elk Bay, the pilot decided to reduce his altitude and attempted to land when the single engine airplane hit the water surface, cartwheeled and sank. While all eight occupants were able to reach the shore and were unarmed, the aircraft was lost.

On a flight from Zeballos to Tofino, the single engine aircraft disappeared. As it failed to arrive, SAR operations were conducted but eventually suspended few days later as no trace of the aircraft nor the seven occupants was found. It is believed the aircraft may have crash into the sea off the Vancouver Island.

The approach to Penticton was started in marginal weather conditions when the aircraft hit several trees. While contacting trees, the left wing was sheared off, the aircraft rotated to the left and crashed in a snow covered and wooded area located on the Mt Okanagan, about 27 km north of the Penticton Airport. Sixteen occupants were evacuated, some of them were injured. Unfortunately, both pilots were killed in the accident.

While flying in marginal weather conditions at an altitude of about 4,000 feet, the twin engine aircraft hit the slope of Mt McCreight and was destroyed. SAR operations were quickly conducted but eventually suspended after few days as no trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found. The wreckage was eventually spotted by walkers on October 21, 1951 in a dense wooded area located on the Vancouver Island. All 11 crew members were killed. They were performing a training mission from the Whidbey Island NAS, Washington.
Crew (VP-931):
Lt Lalonde M. Pinne, pilot 10.

The aircraft and its crew were taking part in an air exercise intended to ascertain the feasibility of operations against the Soviet Union in wintertime. Seven hours into the planned 24-hour flight, and over the Northern Pacific Ocean, three of the giant bomber's six engines caught fire owing to carburetor icing in the intense cold and had to be shut down. The three remaining engines were only producing limited power and the plane could not maintain height. The Mark IV atomic bomb being carried was jettisoned at 8,000 feet inside Canadian waters, and its high explosive detonator created a large shock wave that was visible on the surface. A dummy core was inserted in the bomb before it was dropped, so there was no nuclear explosion. To give his crew a chance of survival the captain took the B-36 to Princess Royal Island where the 16 crew members and one observer bailed out. 12 of the 17 survived their ordeal, but the first 4 to jump were never found, and are presumed to have descended into the freezing sea and died. Capt. Schreier's body was recovered from the crash site in the summer of 1954. The aircraft flew on for another 210 miles with Capt. Schreier at the controls before crashing on the side of Mount Kologet, in British Columbia, 6,000 feet above sea level and northwest of Hazelton. The resting place of 44-92075 went unknown until September 1953 when the wreckage was sighted during an unrelated air search.
Crew killed were:
Cpt Theodore F. Schreier, copilot,
Cpt William Phillips, navigator,
1st Lt Holiel Ascol, bombardier,
S/Sgt Neal A. Straley, gunner,
S/Sgt Elbert W. Pollard, gunner.
Source: ASN