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The Arctic North (northern parts of Canada and Alaska) is a cruel environment for men and machine; for planes it is no different. The weather creates all sorts of hazards, the terrain offers its own variety of opportinuties for disaster. Men are prone to make mistakes and machines are bound to fail at some point. Here are some of the results. I hope we can establish the identities and the locations of these planes, help will be welcomed. |
![]() Andreas Morgner wrote me this in Feb.2008 : A few facts: http://www.geocities.com/alaskanheritage/REEVEFLEET.html N91016 w/o Nikolski,AK 29May65 Wikipedia on Nikolski and Umnak Island Michael Prophet made me aware of the fact the DC-3 actual featured on the photo shown on the Wikipedia page:
Michael Prophet also stumbled on this photo in an Airways magazine (March 2008),
Alexandre Avrane of aerotransport.org pointed me to www.panoramio.com/photo/2598135 for a better picture of DC-3 N91016...At above link there is also a much larger image to be seen. |
DC-3 at Reindeer Lake, July 2006
Dirk Septer added to this (Oct.2006): Read about how the King is planning to salvage this DC-3, Joey "the King of Obsolete" has also found something written about this crash and the one mentioned further down, on Lynn Lake- |
| ? No Photo, but in Propliner magazine no.111 -Summer 2007- I read about a Douglas EC-47 (42-24304) wreck surviving on Prince of Wales Island. The wreckage is located a little north of Klawock. It had made a forced landing here on 25Oct68. See also www.ec47.com/oct2568.htm Photos welcomed. |
Photo taken by 'Scudrunner'. |
| Again on that same forum / thread, another contribution by the King of Obsolete: "This Curtiss C-46 Commando in Churchill,Manitoba is set up with a picnic table and everything. Here is the picture thanks to "Google Earth. it is painted to look good and you walk inside on the plywood floor and sit in the seat for a picture; it is even on the Churchill tourist map." Must admit I couldn't find it on Google Earth. Aad van der Voet (Old Wings) identified it as Curtiss Commando C-46 C-GYHT c/n 22375. This website www.churchillmb.net/~cccomm/pintrest.htm has the following: "Miss Piggy - this is a crashed C46 aircraft that was operated by Lamb Air. She is found on the scenic route road along Hudson Bay shortly before it ends, close to the Institute of Arctic Ecophysiology. She is called Miss Piggy because she was able to hold so much freight and once did have pigs on board. On Nov 13 (19), 1979 she was flying a cargo of 1 skidoo and many cases of pop for the Arctic Co-op from Churchill to Chesterfield inlet. She lost oil pressure in her left engine shortly after departing Churchill. The crew of 3 tried to return the aircraft to the Churchill airport. They clipped hydro poles with one wing just before the IAEP lab and crash landed on the rocks there. 2 of the 3 crew were seriously injured. Investigation of the failed engine only revealed small metal chips through out. Her oringal paint of white and red with the Lamb Air markings has been painted over with gray for a movie."
The King sent me this picture, which 'kinda' makes me want to put on my boots, grab the camera and go there...
Here is Jack Lamb's book, the story of flying in the great white north:
www.artbookbindery.com/TheBookshelfComplete.htm My Life In The North is a story of Jack Lamb, his father Tom, and his five brothers. They owned and operated Lambair Limited from bases at The Pas, Thompson, and Churchill, Manitoba during the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s. They lived all their lives flying as bush pilots in Northern Manitoba and the Canadian Arctic. This book highlights some of their adventures while operating scheduled and charter flights. The company motto was "Do Not Ask Us Where We Fly - Tell Us Where You Want To Go". Recommended reading. The famous Miss Piggy C46 plane crash site: www.tc.gc.ca/PrairieAndNorthern/churchillairport/menu.htm See also my Page 7 of Photos by Friends and Guests, for 2 more photos of C-GYHT.
Jackie Robinson sent me a photo taken on 16Nov07: |
Ray Stickel sent me this image in July 2007: ![]() Ray wrote me: "I snapped a picture of this Curtiss C-46 Commando in 1993. It lies between Thompson and Pikwitonei in Manitoba Province. Story was that it went down due to fuel starvation after takeoff." Alexandre Avrane (of AeroTransport Data Bank) suggested the following: "Could be Super C-46C C-GIXZ msn 22453 lost 31oct82 near Shamattawa, Manitoba and operated by Ilford Riverton. Photo of the nose at the bottom of http://members.shaw.ca/navion/cgixz.htm Not to be confused with the latter C-GIXZ msn 22495 destroyed in Kenya!" See also Aircraft Crashes Record Office. And Brian Maddison's photo of this C-GIXZ at Vancouver in 1978.
Joe Baugher describes an interesting history:
"Just to confuse the issue….there was a wrecked C-46 fuselage near the north end of the Shamattawa airport, which is probably GIXZ. If memory serves, it was natural metal with a red flash (like the photo of IXZ). The wreck that I have submitted is a considerable distance from Shamattawa, and had the blue flashes on the fuselage, similar to Air Manitoba colors. The mystery deepens…! It is possible that the wreck I photographed was enroute to Shamattawa, as it lies very near the flight track to that community."
Brian followed this up with the following:
Seems like a veritable Curtiss Commando scrapyard up there in Manitoba..! I would be interested to know if there are any other sightings of these planes in more recent years than 1993. |
![]() 'ETTW' posted on the AvCanada forum 2 images of wrecks, suitable of unclusion on this page, I think... When I asked who made these photos, and when, I was replied: "Cannot remember which copilot took them, but I believe they were both taken in the summer of 2006." Above is CF-IHQ, a Curtiss C-46A Commando, which while operating for Wheeler Airlines on the DEW Line project, was written off on 25Mar60. The report on Aviation Safety Network states- "Location: DEW Site 28, NU (Canada), Curtiss CF-IHQ took off from a dewline airstrip at 00:27 for a flight to another airstrip. The aircraft was on the downwind leg when it struck the ground at 780 feet asl." |
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On ABPic is an image of when it was in use by Dorval Air Transport. Here is a link to Google Maps to see how remote Hall Beach (by Scarpa Lake), Nunavut really is... 'ETTW' added to these images: CF-IHQ is still there, it is on the opposite side of the lake from the site, while CF-HEI is now in a hole in the ground covered by gravel during the cleanup of the site..." |
The photo was taken by 'scudrunner' who tells his tales on the AvCanada forum.
Sheldon Rose wrote me in June 2007: |
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Craig Fuller wrote me in July 2007, casting some doubt on the identity of this wreck: "I saw your notes on C-54D 42-72469, as I am working with one of the family members researching the crash. I really doubt that the plane in the picture is C-54D 42-72469. Reading the website I am guessing the only reason you think the plane in the picture is C-54D 42-72469 is because it is near Snag, which was the last position report of C-54D 42-72469? Looking at the plane in the picture I have a hard time believing that that one was not found, within a year or so, after the crash... There is a document in the report indicating C-54D 42-72469 was still missing as of Feb 1951. While I have seen accident reports that were not updated from missing once the plane was found, these are mainly WWII accidents or the planes were found many, many, years after the crash. This plane looks like it was a survivable crash, though the crew could have succumbed to the elements, but they still could have gotten a message out..? Also the pilot calls it a DC-3 (I can’t tell from the picture) and I would think most Alaskan bush pilots know a DC-3 from a DC-4. I have attached several pages of the accident report. Sincerely, Craig Fuller AAIR Aviation Archaeological Investigation & Research www.AviationArchaeology.com In Jan.2008 I received following email: This led to a reaction by Matt Miller (Feb.2008): |
I would welcome the name of the photographer for a proper credit. Aad van de Voet provided the following details: "This is Bristol 170 Freighter Mk.31 CF-TFZ, c/n 13139, which was flying for Pacific Western Airlines at the time. It crashed there on 30 May 1956, only two months after PWA had acquired it..." Dirk Septer added the following: Sean Barry zoomed past and sent me these photos, which I believe were taken in Feb.2007 |
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Andreas sent me this link www.flickr.com/photos/yellowknifesilke In Dec.2007 I received following email:
Anyone with any sightings (or fate) after Dec.1970 of Lambair's Bristol Freighter CF-WAC: |
N6456C was obtained by Flying Fireman Ltd of Sidney,BC in June 1980; registered as C-GFFJ and flown as tanker 9.It crashed and was destroyed during water pick-up at Sioux Lookout, Ontario on 12Jul81. Source: www.warbirdregistry.org |
It flipped over while scooping water Sitidgi Lake, NWT 24Jul2001. It was recovered from the seabed and brought ashore for repairs.
Curtis voluteered the following on the CV-Canso Yahoo forum: |
The story of the crash of N103 (ATL-98 conversion no.7, ex DC-4 cn10273) can be found on Aviation-Safety Network : Andreas forwarded me this link: www.dced.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/images/Venetie_planecrash.jpg which shows the following image:
Rob Tracz sent me photos of N103 in better days, click here |
Andreas Morgner sent me the link to Google Maps, to further facilitate travellers...![]() |
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Mike Charters wrote me in Dec.2007 and sent me the following photo:
Mike added: "Thought I’d send a photo of the B-36 Peacemaker near Goose Bay, taken from a Euorocopter EC-155B Helicopter in the Fall of 2005 or 2004 I believe.![]() Lee Cormie (who is also on your website, looking for info on the Ft. Ross DC-3) was the pilot of the helicopter, of which I had just assisted on an engine change and we flew out there on a test flight..." |
| Michael Prophet (propliner enthusiast) noted this wreckage on the website www.walter-steinberg.de/Koyukuk/Koyukuk.htm Click the above link or the thumbnail to the webpage, for a larger image.Michael suggested: "...it is the Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar, survivor N8682 of Hawkins & Powers (Tanker 138) Location would be some 30 miles south of Bettles Field and near the Koyukuk River, close to the village of Allakaket; about 200 miles northwest of Fairbanks. Accident details on Aviation-Safety.Net This would be the C-119 Flying Boxcar, described in the Legend of Dead Dugan. |
| Phil Schaefer sent me this photo in June 2007, he wrote: I've got a couple of aerial photos of the B-24 wreck near Wood River Butts, about 30 miles south of Fairbanks if you're interested. According to the great guys at the Pioneer Park museum it crashed shortly after WWII while trying to recreate a 4 engine failure that caused another plane to crash (I believe that is the wreck near the Charlie River). Unfortunately, they succeeded... Not much left of the wreckage now, a wildfire a couple years ago did a lot of damage. ![]() Tim Berg replied with the following information: "That picture is of the first B-24 that went in with engine- and prop problems. No one was killed in it. There were some broken bones... ![]() The second one, that went out to duplicate the first one, is about 4 miles south of the one you have pictures of and it had no survivors. It is much harder to see. I do have some pictures of it. Fire never got to either one of them. I have an article from the Air Force Flying Safety Magazine Published June 1990 about the incidents, crashed in 1943." |
| Following I received from Mac McCrimmon, at this time without photos, but interesting all the same: "I was working in the area when the Malcolm Island DC 3 crashed... I was working for Calm Air in Lynn Lake, flying a Norseman and Beech 18 on floats and used to come to Arctic Lodge a lot. This DC-3 was one of many airplanes that brought guests to what was then called Arctic Lodge, although it is a long way from the real Arctic. I forget the name of the person who owned the lodge but it was a well run organization that catered to groups of sportsmen, as opposed to many fly in fishing camps that catered to individuals and their friends. These airplanes came up from Minnesota with groups and returned with another on a weekly basis. Since they were able to traverse from Winnipeg to Malcolm Island and return without fuel or stopped for fuel in either Flin Flon or The Pas, we, the floatplane operators, saw very little of them. If you go to Google Earth and key in Malcolm Island, you will see the airport. Now, if you go west and north from the island about 7 or 8 miles in a small bay between two islands, you will see a settlement. That is Arctic Lodge. It is inhabited only in the summer. Where I got involved in the incident, other than hearing about it, was when one of our company pilots (Calm Air Ltd., Lynn Lake, Manitoba) dumped a Beech 18 (on wheels) over on its back at the airstrip. We just left the airplane there for the winter. In early spring, a gentleman by the name of Porky Weiben, owner of Superior Airways (of Thunder Bay Ontario), arrived in Lynn Lake with a DC-3 and he said he was going to Malcolm Island to salvage what was salvagable from the wreck. Later on that spring, we flew in to Malcolm Island with a Twin Otter to salvage our Beech 18, only to find that Porky had beat us to it and took all the radios and instruments out of the airplane! We then simply haywired the tail section up, chopped the roof off the cockpit and taxied the airplane across the ice to Kinasao or Coop Point. We had a problem getting the airplane off the ice so we taxied around to a bay near the airstrip where there was ice right of shore, but about 100 yards (or meters) from shore, the airplane broke through the ice damaging the propellers... so we just chopped the engines off and let the airplane sink! I have some pictures of the wrecked Beech 18, but they are on slides and I am attempting to put them on something digital but with poor luck... When I was on the Island, I never got to the wreckage because it was on the south end and we always worked off the north end of the airstrip." Arctic Lodge is of course a different location than Arctic Bay, which features in the book "My Life in the North" by Jack Lamb and which has an interesting chapter on a mishap with a Beech 18 at Arctic Bay and the plane's recovery. Joey "the King of Obsolete" has also found something written about the crashes mentioned by Marc McCrimmon (and the 'Ozark DC-3' earlier up this page)-
Here is a link to a map that will show you where the malcolm island runway is to Kinoosao: http://kingofobsolete.ca/rocket_tour_WEBPAGE.htm He added: "Your website is answering a lot of questions over in the Great White North... I know a fellow that was in Lynn Lake when they were stripping the DC-3 at Malcolm Island. He remembers it well because the crew flew back to Lynn Lake every night and had the parts they took off the plane that day..." |
| Gord wrote me in May 2008: "Any idea what this crash is? This is alongside the abandoned rail line between Sioux Lookout, Ontario and Upsala... Looks like it may have been pulled out of the lake?" "We came across it on a backroad motorcycle tour last weekend. We all took some pics and your welcome to use them. I also have the gps coordinates on my gps, here they are: N 49 18.135' W 90 44.196'. We were guessing it's a Beech 18... " |
Someone suggested: "It looks like a Beech 18 for sure. Note the battery box hole, the big gap behind it where the fuel tank goes (that has been obviously removed) and the tubular truss structure spar. " |
![]() Bob Ostrom Corpus Christi,TX |
| The coordinates N 49 18.135' W 90 44.196' would indicate this location ![]() |
![]() Scudrunner wrote me in July 2008: "I am the photographer of the pictures from the Beaver Creek and the Ruby Range DC-3's. Here is a wreck of a BN2 you can add to the collection 63°33'1.49"N 139°54'21.36"W Crashed while landing at a mining strip called 'Lammers'. |
On the AvCanada another interesting item appeared: about a B-29 surviving in Northern Greenland. Those with aircraft preservation at heart will understand the drama when an attempt to recover B-29 "Kee Bird" went awfully wrong in the summer of 1995...
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