Ontario

Flight number 621 of Air Canada DC-8-63 CF-TIW with 100 passengers, six cabin air crew and three flight crew aboard on July 5, 1970 from departure at Montreal International Airport until its final crash at Toronto International Airport lasted slightly more than 52 minutes. This aircraft took off at Montreal at 07 hours and 17 minutes EDT, initially touched down on runway 32 at Toronto International Airport at 08 hours 06 minutes and 36 seconds EDT and finally crashed at 08 hours 09 minutes 34 seconds EDT. The flight from Montreal to Toronto was routine. The flight during this interval was also routine. The "In-Range Check" was made when the aircraft was about 10 miles from Toronto International Airport on a southerly heading. The "Before-Landing Check" was made when the aircraft was about 8 miles from this Airport, and just commencing its turn onto final approach. On this Before-Landing cockpit check, which includes the lowering of the undercarriage, the item "spoilers armed" was intentionally omitted. During this period there occurred a conversation between the Captain and the First Officer as to whether the ground spoilers would be armed 'on the flare' or 'on the ground' and an agreement between them as to this was reached. The agreement was that the First Officer would arm them 'on the flare', that is, immediately before the aircraft touched down on the runway. Power was reduced then on the aircraft for the purpose of the flare and the Captain gave the order to the First Officer by saying 'OK'; and immediately thereafter the ground spoilers were deployed. The spoilers were deployed when the aircraft was about 60 feet above the runway. As a result, the aircraft sank rapidly. Practically immediately thereafter the Captain, with an exclamation, applied full throttle to all four engines and pulled back the control panel causing the nose of the aircraft to rotate upwards. During this sequence the First Officer apologized to the Captain for what he had done. Notwithstanding the action taken by the Captain, he did not succeed in preventing the aircraft from touching down on the runway. Instead, the aircraft struck the runway very heavily. It remained on the runway only about half a second and then rose back into the air at which time the ground spoilers commenced to retract and then did retract. When the aircraft struck the runway, number 4 engine and pylon separated from the aircraft and fell on the runway along with a piece of the lower wing plating (which allowed fuel to escape and subsequently ignite). Damage was also done at this time to the attachments relating to number 3 engine, but that engine after touchdown continued to function. After this touchdown, the aircraft climbed to an altitude of 3,100 feet above the ground. During this climb, there were conversations between the First Officer and the aircraft airport control tower from which it is patent, that the air crew considered that they would be able to cause their aircraft to circle for another landing attempt on runway 32. In fact, the air crew did not know, until only about 40 seconds prior to the final crash, that the happening of such final crash was irreversible. During this climb, fire and smoke were seen trailing behind the aircraft intermittently. About 2 and one half minutes after the initial touch down of this aircraft on the runway, the first explosion occurred in the right wing outboard of number 4 engine location causing parts of the outer wing structure to fall free to the ground. Six seconds later, a second explosion occurred in the vicinity of number 3 engine and the engine with its pylon ripped free of the wing and fell to the ground in flames, trailing heavy black smoke. Six and one half seconds later, a third explosion occurred which caused the loss of a large section of the right wing, including the wing tip. The aircraft then went into a violent manoeuvre, and with the right wing still ablaze, lost height rapidly and at the same time more wing plating tore free following which the aircraft struck the ground at a high velocity, about 220 knots in the attitude with the left wing high and the nose low. At final crash, all persons aboard this aircraft were killed.

While approaching Timmins Airport, the crew realized that weather conditions were marginal and decided to return to Winisk. This was not possible as the weather worsened at Winisk as well so the crew returned to Timmins and initiated a second approach despite the visibility was below minima. On final, the aircraft was too low and crashed three km short of runway threshold. Both pilots and two passengers were killed while four others were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.

While descending to Moshabong Lake and completing a last turn, the pilot lost control of the airplane that stalled and crashed into the lake near the shore. Two passengers were killed while a third one and the pilot were seriously injured.

En route, the pilot encountered icing conditions when the engine failed. He reduced his altitude in an attempt to make an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in the bush and was damaged beyond repair. All occupants escaped without injuries.

After takeoff from a lake located in Winisk, the single engine airplane encountered difficulties to gain height. As the shore was approaching, the pilot elected to turn when the airplane struck the ground and came to rest upside down. There were no injuries but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The aircraft was on a conversion training flight from Montreal to Ottawa with three pilots on board. The aircraft departed Montreal at 1802 hours Eastern Standard Time on an instrument flight plan which was cancelled on reaching the Ottawa area. A hydraulic failure simulation was then carried out following which a touch-and-go landing on runway 32 was accomplished at 1825 hours. According to the recorded data the touch-and-go was accomplished with the ailerons in the manual mode, the flaps were raised to the 250 position during the landing roll and the ailerons were restored to the power mode during the turn following take-off while on a heading of about 260°. After about two minutes of flight on the downwind leg, No. 4 engine was retarded to flight idle and was kept at that setting for about two and a quarter minutes. During this period an average of about 30 left wing down bank was maintained, except at a point about halfway through that period the aircraft banked slowly 180 to the left, followed by a sharp reversal to 100 bank to the right. The length of the downwind leg was consistent with a planned two-engine asymmetric landing. Power was restored to No. 4 engine just before a left turn on to the base leg was started. During that turn No. 4 engine was again retarded to flight idle,then restored to normal power. No. 1 engine was then retarded to flight idle for about 20 seconds, then restored to normal power. The flaps remained at the 250 setting. While turning on to final approach, the pilot-in-command advised the tower that he was as yet undecided whether a landing would be carried out. When the aircraft had passed the UP beacon, about 84 miles from the runway threshold and approximately 200 sec from impact, rudder power was selected to the manual mode and power was reduced on all four engines. No. 4 engine was then retarded to the flight idle position and the other three engines advanced to approach power. About 171 sec before impact, the pilot-in-command advised the control tower that the aircraft would be making a full stop landing. The landing gear was extended 155 sec before impact and 120 sec before impact No. 3 engine was retarded to flight idle: at the same time power was increased on Nos. 1 and 2 engines. At that time the aircraft was at a height of 1 150 ft above the ground and its indicated airspeed was fairly steady around 165 kt. From 109 to 92 sec before impact, the aircraft turned to the right through 340 on to a heading of 3370. Power was reduced, bank applied and the aircraft returned to approximately the runway heading. The flaps were extended to 350, 69 sec before impact. At 54 sec before impact, the rudder was restored to the power mode for less than 6 sec and then returned to the manual mode. Through the period from 69 to 25 sec the rate of descent was relatively constant at about 700 ft/min with the aircraft tending to undershoot, and the airspeed decreasing from 163 to 152 kt. Power on Nos. 1 and 2 engines was progressively increased from 25 sec before impact until near maximum power was reached 8 sec before impact, following which they were retarded to flight idle. A yaw to the right had started 19 sec before impact and 12 sec before impact the throttles were advanced on engines 3 and 4 and they began to spool up. At 9 sec before impact and when some 200 ft above the ground, the left wing down condition could no longer be maintained and the aircraft entered a roll to the right. The roll rate to the right increased rapidly as did the yaw rate. The roll continued until the aircraft struck the ground in an inverted nose low attitude, 1 995 ft short of the threshold of runway 32 and 575 ft NE of its extended centre line. The accident occurred at 1837 hours. The aircraft was destroyed and all three crew members were killed.

The crew was engaged in a local training flight at Trenton Airport. Shortly after a night takeoff, while climbing, the four engine airplane crashed in unknown circumstances in a field located 2,5 km from the airport. All six crew members were killed.

Crashed shortly after takeoff from Fort William-Lakehead Airport, Ontario. Both passengers were injured while the pilote was unhurt.

Shorty after takeoff from Pekogaming Lake, while climbing, the engine failed. The aircraft stalled, hit trees and crashed in a dense wooded area. All six occupants were injured while the aircraft was destroyed.

While approaching Cooper Lake in heavy rain falls, the pilot lost control of the airplane that crashed in a wooded area. Two passengers were seriously injured while three other occupants were killed. The aircraft was destroyed.