The Dakota plane that crashed at Estevan Airport,
was originally a US Air Force plane
A Douglas C-47A-DK Skytrain
SN#92713 (c/n 12544)
transferred to the RCAF 
as Dakota III  #962, (12544).

The plane crashed and burned at 10:20 a.m. (CDT)
Sept 15, 1946, Killing 20 RCAF Pilots,
plus one ground crew man who was on board.
 It crashed near a ravine
at the west end of one of the runways,
in the NW part of the Landing field,
 a place that had become known by local residents
as "Death Valley",
because of a number of R.C.A.F. accidents
 which took place there during the war.

The Estevan airfield was formerly No. 38 Service Flying Training school,
and then became the headquarters of No. 4 Equipment Holding Unit.
 It was the scene of several crashes during the war.

The DC3 started in production in 1935.
This plane was only built in 1944
seating capacity 34
2 Piston Engines
also known as a DC3
Registration:  962 
Msn / c/n:  12544 

Some records say Sept 6, 
others 15th, others 16th
One record says a Dakota MKIII.
Some records say 20 lives lost, some 21, some 22.
the real date, Sunday, September 15, 1946.

It was flying from Minot to Estevan 
when it crashed and burned. 

The victims were all members of No. 124 
Communications Squadron, RCAF, from Rockcliffe, Ontario
 At the time of the accident they were being sent to Estevan 
to fly Cornell trainers out of Estevan.
These planes were being returned to Fargo ND.
 

Their names were:   F.O. Harry Hugh Cowan of Ottawa, ON Distinguished Flying Cross Father- Capt. A. B. Cowan of Ottawa, Brother- Rev. J. E. B. Cowan of Estevan, (Pastor of the Estevan Free Methodist Church).  Brother- Lieut.-Colonel Eric Cowan, Ottawa, Uncle- Brigadier G. A. Cowan of the Salvation Army, Africa  Buried in Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa. Harry Cowan's body was flown back home, all those below were sent home via a Special train. Flt. Lt. James Stewart Lees Distinguished Flying Cross-  J/20727 Son of Thomas and Susan Lees, Abbotsford, B.C. Husband of Evelyn Gladys Lees, Abbotsford, B.C Buried in Royal Canadian Legion Cemetery, Age 32, Chilliwack BC  Flt. Lt. Edward Chester Stewart Distinguished Flying Cross, D.F.M.  - J/17000 Son of Albert T. Stewart and Lottie M Stewart, Brother of Frank Brisbin Stewart of Camrose AB Buried in Plot 6 Row 1, Holden Cemetery,  Age 28, Holden, Alberta, Canada F.O. Ned Jordan Born in Dec 1, 1919 (Headstone says Flt. Lt.) Distinguished Flying Cross Edward Marsh Jordan (father), who lived at 238 Talbot Ave., Winnipeg. Buried in Elmwood Cemetery, Age 27, 88 Hespeler Ave,  Winnipeg, MB. F.O. William Albert Perry Mrs W. A. Perry (wife) Belleville, Ont. Nephew of Mrs. R. J. Torgensen, 40 Kingston Row, and grandson of Mrs. W. P. Perry, 37 Kingston Row Buried in St. James Cemetery, Kemptville ON F.O. Robert James McIntyre Mr. Peter McIntyre (father), Carman, Man. Buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Carman MB F.O. Raymond (Ray) Avard Brandser b- May 1, 1923 -   J/28638 Mr. Henry Sylfest Brandser (Father)  and Lillian A. (Mother), Glen Bain, SK. Buried in Hawley Cemetery (Clay) ,Age 23 Plot 24 Row 2 Grave 1, Minnesota, USA F.O. Max Thomas Mrs. E. Thomas (mother)  652 Saskatchewan Cres. E., Saskatoon, SK. (Father)- Eugenie Thomas of Saskatoon SK.  Buried Sept 20, 1946, in Woodlawn Cemetery, Age 23, Block K Lot 121 Grave 12955, Saskatoon SK Flt. Lt. Leonard Edgar Turtle  N. Battleford, SK.  Mrs. Zola Maxine Turtle (wife) 26 Hazel Ave., Ottawa and Saskatoon SK.. Son of Alfred E Turtle and Kathleen I Turtle of Cavalier, Buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Age 24, Block K Lot 122 Grave 12956 Saskatoon SK FO. Stephen Pond Mrs. Constance Marie Pond, Montreal. Buried in Mount Royal Cemetery, Montreal QC Flt. Lt. Joseph Alphonse Camille Bouchard Distinguished Flying Cross Mrs. A. A. C. Bouchard (wife), Longeuil, Que. Notre Dame R.C. Cemetery, Ottawa ON Flt. Lt. William Murdock Jackson Mrs. W. M. Jackson (wife) Lansing, Ont. Buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto ON. Flt. Lt. Charles Stanley Wright Proctor Mrs. Helen Isabelle Proctor (wife), Toronto. Buried in Park Lawn Cemetery, Toronto, ON Flt. Lt. Morris Crosby Cuthbert Mrs. Beryl W. Cuthbert (wife), Ottawa. 2 Memorials 1947 says his name was Maurice C. Cuthbert one signed Mother and Dad Whiting other his wife Beryl. Flt. Lt.  Clifford Somerville Coppin*  Mrs. C.S. Coppin (wife), Kamsack, SK. Buried in Riverview Cemetery, Kamsask, SK. Flt. Lt. Lawrence Victor Kirsch  Mrs. L. V. Kirsch (wife), 174 Tupper Avenue, Yorkton, Sask. Buried in Yorkton Cemetery, Yorkton, SK. Flt. Lt. Louis (Lew) Eric John Murphy   (J20191) Born in 1923 in Moberly, Cheshire, England October 6, 1944 awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) - No.427 Squadron   Mrs. L. E. J. Murphy (wife) Ottawa. Discrepancy- one records says husband of Delys D Murphy of Charlottetown PEI, Son of Squadron leader Ernest Eric and Edith Gladys V Murphy of Britannia Heights, Buried in Pinecrest Cemetery, Age 23, Plot 598 Sec D Grave 1 Ottawa ON. Memorial notice 1947, signed Patricia, Bridget, and Jacqueline another signed his Mom and Dad, and brothers Eric and Kenneth Flt. Lt. James Pyle Jesse  (J26908) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.184 Squadron  Mrs. Marjorie Eleanor Jesse (wife). Buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Burnaby BC Flt. Lt. William (Bill) Jacob Louis Weicker F/L (J15301)  D.F.C. and bar; - Family Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross  - No.405 Squadron   Mr. and Mrs. William Weicker (parents) North Kitchener, Ont. Buried in St. Peter's Lutheran Cemetery, Kitchener, ON F.O. Robert (Sandy) Cowan McRoberts,  (J12537)  -Family Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross   - No.421 Squadron    Mrs. Rose A. McRoberts (wife)  288 Yale Avenue, Winnipeg, and Sudbury ON. Son of Henry Hunter McRoberts and Jessie Park McRoberts of Calgary; Buried in Burnsland Cemetery, Age 28. Lot 105. Block 11. Sec. G., Calgary AB. Leading Aircraftman (LAC) Vitantos Luke Kirko  Miss Mary Kirko (sister), Toronto. Son of Kaiton and Victoria Kirko of Toronto  Buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Age 20,  Range 45 Sec18 Grave 121, Toronto ON.   *note- Clifford Somerville Coppin's name  was corrected by his daughter Valerie Palmer Sept 12, 2006 F.O.= Flight Officer Flt. Lt. = Flight Lieutenant

The official RCAF statement quoted in the Mercury stated 
the "aircraft was seen to approach the airport
normally with its wheels lowered."
"For some reason the pilot decided not to land 
on his first approach and opened up the engines to go around again. 
During this manoeuvre the pilot apparently lost control
and the aircraft crashed.
A technical examination of the wreckage 
has shown that the control lock on the starboard elevator
was in position and had not been removed
before the flight commenced."
Ground Crew error, but should have been seen
by the Pilot, on his pre flight inspection.
I have read somewhere one assumption says
the pilot was aware that he had a problem, 
and asked the men in the plane to get into the rear 
of the plane for landing, so he could get the nose up,
but when something happened on his landing,
and he gave it full throttle, the plane couldn't recover
from the weight imbalance and crashed.
If they would have stayed sitting they might have survived.
But who really knows if this is true.

Caskets entering town, Highway 47 Hill,
South end of the City
20 Caskets on 7 Air Force Trucks

Military Band leads the Funeral Procession,
on 12th Ave

Military Guard for the funeral Procession,
on 12th Ave

Military Guard corner 4th St and 12th Ave

Caskets being loaded onto the train,
Sept 18,1946
These pictures were in my Mom's scrapbook
and no doubt from the Estevan Mercury at the time.
I thank to photographer and the source, whoever it may be.
 

Brief Plane History
A large order was placed in 1940 for the military DC-3, 
which was designated C-47 and became known as "Skytrain,"
a name it would soon be asked to live up to.
  more than 10,000 were built under various names and designations, 
including SKYTRAIN, C-53, C-117 
and DAKOTA (British designation), .
These aircraft played a major role and served 
in every theatre of operations during the Second World War. 
Thousands continued to serve in both military
and civilian roles after the war.

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124 Communications Squadron
Rockcliffe, Ontario
After going through several name changes,
(RCAF Unit Ottawa, RCAF Technical Depot Stores),
 the station was re-named Royal Canadian Air Force Station Ottawa in 1936.
This name change would be short lived as the station
 was again re-named RCAF Station Rockclifffe in 1940.
Some of the station's other units at this time
 consisted of No. 7 General Purpose Squadron, Air Transport Command,
No. 124 Communications Squadron and the newly opened RCAF Hospital

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Above the Piano bar at
the Billy Bishop Legion,
1407 Laburnum Street, Vancouver, British Columbia,
is a propeller from a Cornell Trainer from Estevan, Saskatchewan