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).
Crashed Sept 15, 1946. killing 20 pilots,
plus one person on the ground.
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.
 

Their names were:  Harry H. Cowan,  James Stewart Lees, Edward Chester Stewart,  Ned Jordan,  William Albert Perry, Robert James McIntyre,  Vitantes Luke Kirko, Raymond Avard Brandser, Max Thomas, Leonard Edgar Turtle, Stephen Pond,  Joseph Alphone Camille Bouchard, William Murdock Jackson, Stanley Wright Proctor,  Morris Crosby Cuthbert,  *Flt/Lt  Clifford Somerville Coppin,  Lawrence Victor Kirsch,  Louis Eric John Murphy, F/O  (J20191) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.427 Squadron  James Pyle Jesse, F/O (J26908) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.184 Squadron  William Jacob Louis Weicker, F/L (J15301)  - Family Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross  - No.405 Squadron  Robert Cowan McRoberts, F/O (J12537)  -Family Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross   - No.421 Squadron  *note Clifford Somerville Coppin's name  was corrected by his daughter Valerie Palmer Sept 12, 2006

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

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