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 opportunities 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. |
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Brad M. sent me this 16Aug20: "Recently I was up in Resolute Bay for work and noticed two different locations of what I was told is a My co-workers are not sure if it is the same plane or not, as the distance is approximately 4 km between both sites. There are inscriptions/painted marks on dated 1976 and 1968." The result of research was that it concerns 2 different airframes and the dates are clarified too; read on!
WE RETURN TO THE SITE NEAREST TO THE AIRPORT, TO IDENTIFY THAT AIRFRAME FIRST
How likely is it that a British-built Lancaster has a part by Bendix in it? WE CONTINUE WITH THE 2ND WRECKSITE, NEAR THE SMALL LAKE AND OPEN WATER
Round engine, from the remote site near the shore, at the small lake (south of Resolute Lake). Jerry sent me a link "I found this photo, recently posted.
It looks like the item that was sent to you recently by Brad."
Mike DeZeeuw joined the research. "That C-82 is down by the dump, closer to town, well south of the airport"
More by Brad: You may find this travelogue Keith Cowing's Devon Island Journal - 11 July 2007: Heading North of interest! Flashback to shortly after (no date) the actual crash!
The 'Q' on Brad's photo obviously held a significant clue, but it took a while to find its significance. Graffiti: I can
make out 'June', not the rest. Next step was to identify which part this is of the aircraft. Jerry found buzznumber CQ was carried on Fairchild C-82 and Fairchild C-119 ¬AeroFiles Buzz Numbers & Tail Codes.
WE MOVE TO A 3RD SITE NEARBY, AGAIN WITH REMAINS OF A 'ROUND ENGINE PROPLINER'... Brad M. sent me more pictures in Oct.2020, wreckage at another location, most likely salvaged from Resolute Bay
![]() C-54 being salvaged from the water of Resolute Bay, 2010/11 ![]()
Brad wrote: "We are aware of the F27, from our supervisor mentioning it to us (Env Canada Atmospheric
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Dave Brosha seems to have photos of this aircraft too in his Arctic folder www.flickr.com/photos/brosha Frans van Zelm responded to above email exchange: "This is Fairchild F-27J CF-GND (c/n 113) which crashlanded at
Resolute Bay 12Jun68 (afaik;
conflicting data is reported: also 15Jun68 is mentioned...). Also visible in Google Earth/Maps at 74.67265N 94.5879W Tom Frook wrote in March 2011 (back on GNG, though that's not the one we are discussing here): Peter C. Hill sent me this in May 2017 on the location of the F.27 CF-GNG of Great Northern, near Resolute Bay: Daniel Bourque wrote me in Feb.2018 on Fairchild F-27J CF-GND and he included this picture:
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Jeremy Hamburg
sent me this shot of a partly obscured plane wreck, photo dated 13Jan13: Peter C. Hill
responded to this (may 2017): "On careful review, I'm pretty sure it is a photo of snow covered C-46 CF-IHQ; the tail markings appear the same and the angle of the propeller on the LH engine. Peter again (6-2023): "..with help from Patrick Nagle in Iqaluit, he provided the co-ordinates for CF-IHQ, south of |
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C/n 22419 was written off 09Aug61 at Peter C. Hill wrote me (may 2017): "I had the opportunity to visit CF-HEI when I was the base manager
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Wayne Trylinski shared this on Facebook's 'Aviation Wrecks and relics' in Dec.2019; he added: 'C-46 crash at
Mihalik András wrote me in June 2023: 'I was looking for 3 planes, two were included on your site. I have no idea what happened to CF-IHR at Mackar Inlet (DEWline site 28). No good sat imagery, I guess it was dozered into the soil during clean up, just like CF-HEI at Sarcpa Lake." Email me (RL) for comments. |
Another C-46 wreck is N9995F (C-46F c/n22409), at Kugaaruk, Nunavut; photo taken by Jason Pineau in Sep.2011.
Larger image at Jason's Flickr.com account Peter C. Hill elaborated on N9995F's position, with help from Google Earth (may 2017) :
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Patrick Nagle made me aware of the wreck of C-FOOY (CF-OOY) near Iqaluit. This is Douglas C-47A (Dakota III) c/n 12411 CF-OOY. Information from the website polarpilots.ca: On November 3, 1975, C-FOOY, a 1944 Douglas C47A 10DK Dakota 3 (DC-3) belonging to Kenting Atlas Aviation was carrying a group of Inuit on a charter from a meeting in Pond Inlet back to Iqaluit (or Frobisher Bay as it was then known). Bad weather forced it to miss refuelling in Pangnirtung or Broughton Island (now Qikiqtarjuaq). It ran out of fuel and landed on the tundra about 45 nm north east of Iqaluit. The passengers included many of the original Inuit group that worked to develop the idea of Nunavut, which became a territory on April 1, 1999. Note- Kenting lost 2 C-47s near Frobisher Bay (Iqaluit) - see the item on CF-OOV further down! And Kenting Aviation DC-3C CF-DXO (c/n 12437) was damaged beyond repair but no-none-nil details on where & when Check: aviation-safety.net/database/operator ![]() Search and Rescue in Nunavut volunteers use the wreck as a target for spotter training. The winter photo (upper left) was taken by Kenn Borek pilot Marcel Siegenthaler during a training run in January 2012.
2014 UPDATE !!! Peter Hill wrote me in June 2023: "I have been in touch with Jack Ireland who has a book with a small section and photos of some salvage of CF-OOY. I've attached his pictures, below, and he Ok'd posting.
This was shared on Facebook as '
Peter Hill wrote me (6-2023): "..with help from Patrick Nagle in Iqaluit, he provided the coördinates for CF-OOV and after playing with a couple of mapping apps, came up with this: Satellites.pro/Canada_map#64.423487,-68.349918,19 This is ca.280 kms N of Iqaluit, corresponding with its course for destination Resolute Airport, NU (YRB/CYRB), west of McKeand River. In Nov.2023 Peter Hill wrote me in Nov.2023,: ASN Aviation-safety.net/database/) Its location corresponds with an attempt to return to the airport of Iqaluit,NUN - ASN link. Peter Hill found several more images on Facebook of the wrecked CF-OOV (June 2023)
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![]() This photo was grabbed from the AvCanada forum (topic), posted by 'HotShots21' (alias for Alex St-Gelais) with comments "CF-CPA a Lockheed Lodestar forced landed in the 60's." [Date of photo: August 2007] CF-CPA is Lodestar c/n 18-2177 and the subject of serious intentions to recover it. Its location is near Weeks Lake or Schefferville,QUE and it found this resting spot when it was forced down by fuel starvation. "This Lockheed 18 Lodestar was one of those slated to join the Dutch East Indies Air Force in Java in 1940 where it was to have been given the serial number LT-926. However, when the Japanese overran Java, the Lodestar was diverted (seized, might be a better term) by the U.S. Government to the Army Air Corps as a C-60-LO and given the serial number 42-108787. The Army Air Corps never used the plane and released it to Canadian Pacific Air Lines in the early 1940s...." MORE: www.cf-cpa.ca/en/history.shtml Peter C. Hill wrote me 31Aug24:
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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: Jerry Vernon added to this: 90° West is not in Manitoba,, it runs up through Northwestern Ontario... Big Trout Lake, Ontario is bisected by the 90° West meridian, at just below 54° North; Big Trout Lake is the village of the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation!! They were formerly known simply as the Big Trout Lake First Nation. Note that Lambair operated four Bristol Freighters in all, as follows, but the Lambair website gives no further details:
Dirk Septer added the following: Dirk added the following information he found on the 'long-nosed' CF-QWJ: W.Byers wrote me on 07Feb2025: "My uncle was in the right seat of that plane (CF-WAC ) when it crashed at Big Trout Lake!
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The above discussion on the identity of the Beech 18 remains, seen from the air & photographed by Jason Pineau, initially also led to other candidates. Sep.2016 I received an email plus photo from Brian Lowe:
History of CF-MBO, as compiled by Bob Parmerter. |
Sean Barry sent me these photos, of York CF-HMX at Hall Lake,Nunavut; taken on 23may09:
![]() Aviation Safety Network has the following: Avro 685 York C1 CF-HMX (c/n ?) of Arctic Wings struck a snow bank at Hall Lake,NU on 12APR1955. (Arctic Wings apparently was a sub-company of Spartan Airways, details welcomed). ![]() The Avro York had a somewhat unlucky career in Canada's Arctic North; 3 Yorks crashed in 6 weeks in the spring of '55, 7 in 18 months, 2 on the same day 13 Sept 56... The Avro York was a British transport aircraft that was derived from the WW2 Lancaster heavy bomber, and used in both military and airliner roles between 1943 and 1964. Lee Cormie sent me these images of CF-HMX at Hall Lake, and sent me his shots, which he took in 1972 when it was in slightly better shape...
Peter C. Hill flew over the crashsite on 05Sep1978 and sent me this image of the Avro York at Hall Lake. Here's some more by Google Earth, in part sent by Peter C. Hill, to indicate the current location of CF-HMX
Two images sent by Pat Donaghy in Jan.2014 (below), he wrote "..a couple pictures of CF-HAS that were taken by Hugh F. Bunn, one in 1968 and another some years later.
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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: See the website www.savethecanso.com Here is a 2012 photo by Nigel Hitchman who visited the farm at Fairview in 2012: I understand that the correct designation of C-FNJE is Consolidated 28-5AMC Canso, as it is an ex/ RCAF aircraft and not a former US Navy aircraft. UPDATE Feb.2017 'First flight after restoration fast approaching!' I learned that on 18Jun2017 C-FNJE made '1st post-restoration flight'. Congratulations! Kenneth Swartz sent me this (Dec.2022): '..sending this link to a YouTube video that you will probably enjoy.
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"I have searched your site mostly off airport and friends & guests photos
and found many photos and much great detail on arctic wrecks but have not
found any on the various Avro York hulks dotted about the Canadian
landscape... Have I missed them ? Ethan wrote me (04-2025): "We were able to find the crash site of the plane we were searching for! Here is a google maps link to the location, the plane is clearly visible in the photo--> https://maps.app.goo.gl/dQ96izcgGPxiMxtw6?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy " I received an email from Jay Ladell (4-2025): |
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But Craig Fuller, webmaster of www.AviationArchaeology.com, wrote me that C-54D 42-72616 was actually involved in 3 crashes! And it was 10Oct1952, when it was finally destroyed. Charles P O'Dale wrote: I (webmaster) also found this on C-54 272616: Rest in peace, gentlemen." ![]() |
An item on Facebook (Feb.2016) quoted a link to the Urban Ghosts website, showing a stranded C-47 at Isachsen. The website quoted the photographer as Derrick Midwinter who displayed the images on Flickr.com. Derrick replied me: "Happy to provide these images for your website!"
Peter C. Hill wrote me in June 2023: "referencing the Isachsen DC-3 43-16062, c/n 20528. |
Don Todd shared these memories with me in June 2016: "I am a Canadian Metis pilot from Western/Northern Canada. Started flying in the 1970's and am still holding a CDN ATPL. I was an accident investigator in CASB in 80's and overseas in the CAA of PNG, Namibia and Botswana. I have investigated over 35 aircraft & rotary types in many remote locations. I was interested in your site because I started flying as crew in NWT based out of Ft Smith in 1973 on a single otter on floats belonging to Buffalo Airways. It was with a pilot named Walter Harms who I lost track of as years passed. He was from B.C. and taught school in the off season.
That summer we took accident investigators to a tragic accident when 2 Canso water bombers collided not that far from Fort Smith near a lake; possibly it was near Pilot Lake, just north along a river and another lake...
Around 1974, when I was in Red Deer, a man named Gordon Magnuson, whom I worked for (as a load master on a
I am now 64 and only a few more years to work in Aviation except to instruct PPL's because I hold a instructors rating still. I often work in Africa now in humanitarian programs; we see so many crash sites of Russian planes, they are scattered all over the region of Kenya, Sudan, DRC and Uganda. That's another story! |
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Created 25-Nov-2020
Updated 27-Nov-2020