2nd worst in Canadian Aviation History at the time

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 left Minot ND at 9:30am flying 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 Hector Airport, Fargo ND.
 

Their names were:   F.O. Henry (Harry) Hugh Cowan b- ca 1915, d- Age 31 Svc Number- J85095  Buried in Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa. Sec. 27. Lot G. Grave 14 lived in Ottawa, ON Distinguished Flying Cross Father- Capt. Alexander Benson Cowan, Mother- Frances Elinor Cowan, of Ottawa ON 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 Harry Cowan's body was flown back home, all those below were sent home via a Special train. Flt. Lt. James Stewart Lees b- ca 1914, d- Age 32 Svc Number- J20727 Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross in 1943 Posted overseas, August 1942 Buried in Royal Canadian Legion Cemetery, Little Mountain, BC  Son of Thomas and Susan Lees, Abbotsford, B.C. Husband of Evelyn Gladys Lees, Abbotsford, B.C. Flt. Lt. Edward Chester Stewart b- ca 1918, d- Age 28 Svc Number- J17000 Distinguished Flying Cross,  The Distinguished Flying Medal, was presented by the King of England, April 1943 Went overseas in Nov 1941 Completed 2 tours of duty over enemy territory. 48 sorties without a scratch. June 21, 1945 returned to Canada Buried in Plot 6 Row 1, Holden Cemetery, Holden, Alberta, Canada  Son of Albert T. Stewart and Lottie M Stewart, Brother of Frank Brisbin Stewart of Camrose AB, the BA Oil Agent in Camrose at the time of the accident. F.O. Ned Jordan b- Dec 1, 1919, d- Age 27 Svc Number- J18919 (Headstone says Flt. Lt.) Distinguished Flying Cross, summer 1945 Buried in Elmwood Cemetery, 88 Hespeler Ave,  Winnipeg, MB. Father- Edward Marsh Jordan, who lived at 238 Talbot Ave., Winnipeg, MB. Mother- Annie Jordan Brother of Edward M. Jordan of Winnipeg, MB   F.O. William Albert Perry b- ca 1918, d- Age 28 Svc Number- J51726 Buried in St. James Cemetery, Kemptville ON Wife- Bernice M. Perry, Belleville, Ont. Nephew of Mrs. R. J. Torgensen, 40 Kingston Row, and Grandson of Mrs. W. P. Perry, 37 Kingston Row Father- Melville Perry Mother- Olga Perry, of Hawarden, SK F.O. Robert James McIntyre b- ca 1923, d- Age 23 Svc Number- J19103 Buried in Greenwood Cemetery, Carman MB Father- Mr. Peter McIntyre, Carman, MB. Mother- Mary Ann McIntyre F.O. Raymond (Ray) Avard Brandser b- May 1, 1923, d- Age 23 Svc Number-  J28638 Home- Glen Bain SK Buried in Hawley Cemetery (Clay) Plot 24 Row 2 Grave 1, Minnesota, USA Father- Mr. Henry Sylfest Brandser  Mother- Lillian A. Brandser, from Glen Bain, SK. Brandser Island in Northern Saskatchewan named after him. F.O. Max Thomas b- ca 1923, d- Age 23 Svc Number- J92977 Home- RockGlen SK Buried Sept 20, 1946, in Woodlawn Cemetery, Block K Lot 121 Grave 12955, Saskatoon SK Mother- Mrs. E. Thomas,  652 Saskatchewan Cres. E., Saskatoon, SK. Father- B. Eugenie Thomas of Saskatoon SK.  Thomas Lake in Northern SK named after him Flt. Lt. Leonard Edgar Turtle  b- ca 1922, d- Age 24 Svc Number- J14865 Home- Marshall SK near Lloydminster SK. Buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Block K Lot 122 Grave 12956 Saskatoon SK  Wife- Mrs. Zola Maxine Turtle, nee Jones 26 Hazel Ave., Ottawa and Saskatoon SK.. Son of Alfred E. Turtle and Kathleen I. Turtle of Cavalier Turtle Island in Northern SK named after him Zola daughter of A. B. Jones of Lilac Leonard and Zola were married May 1942 in Ruddell United Church, North Battleford Jan 9, 1946 Leonard was part of the mail squadron, delivering mail overseas. He left his car on a street in Ottawa, and baffled the police for a while. FO. Stephen Pond b- ca 1912, d- Age 34 Svc Number- J29113 Buried in Mount Royal Cemetery, Montreal QC Wife- Mrs. Constance Marie Pond, Montreal. Son of John and Annie Pond, of Montreal The Oldest of all the men on board Flt. Lt. Joseph Alphonse Camille Bouchard b- ca 1918, d- Age 28 Svc Number- J26027 Distinguished Flying Cross Buried in Notre Dame Roman Catholic Cemetery, Ottawa ON Wife- Ruth Bouchard, Longeuil, Que. Son of Georges and Marie C. Bouchard, of Ottawa, Ontario Flt. Lt. William Murdock Jackson b- ca 1922, d- Age 24 Svc Number- J15733 Buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto ON. Wife- Kitty Marie Jackson, Lansing, Ont. Father- George Richmond Jackson Mother- Isobel Jackson, of Winnipeg, MB Flt. Lt. Charles Stanley Wright Proctor b- 1917, d- Age 29 Svc Number- J6150 Wife- Mrs. Helen Isabelle Proctor, Toronto. 248 Heath Street West, Toronto Buried in Park Lawn Cemetery, Toronto, ON awarded Distinguished Flying Cross, Feb 2, 1943 Served overseas, and was commended for his  Navigator Bomb aiming ability, on enemy targets. Father- Charles Russell Weller Proctor  b- Mar 16, 1871 in Brighton, Northumberland Co. ON  d- 1930 Mother- Mona Louise Wright  b- 1884  d- 1974 Grandfather- John Edward Proctor b- Mar 29, 1824 d- 1911 Flt. Lt. Morris (Maurice) Crosby Cuthbert b- ca 1918, d- Age 28 Svc Number- J16223 buried Pinecrest Cemetery, Ottawa, ON Plot South half 597. Sec. D. Grave 1. Wife- Mary Beryl W. Cuthbert, Ottawa, ON. 2 Memorials 1947 says his name was Maurice C. Cuthbert one signed Mother and Dad Whiting other his wife Beryl. Father- John Cuthbert Mother- Edith E. Cuthbert of Vancouver BC Flt. Lt.  Clifford Somerville Coppin*  b- June 22, 1923 in Kamsack, SK, d- Age 23 Svc Number- J85255 Buried in Riverview Cemetery, Kamsask, SK. Plot 1. Block 6. Grave 7 Wife- Amelia E. Andrews, Kamsack, SK b: July 13, 1922 in South Ockendon, Essex Father- George Sommerville Coppin Mother- Elizabeth Morden Coppin Lake in NW SK named after him Flt. Lt. Lawrence Victor Kirsch b- ca 1918, d- Age 28 Svc Number- J11048 Distinguished Flying Cross Home- Yorkton SK Buried in Yorkton Cemetery, Yorkton, SK. Block 11. Lot 41. Grave A.  Wife- Beryl Kirsch, 174 Tupper Avenue, Yorkton, SK. Father- Henry Kirsch of Yorkton SK Kirsch Lake in Northern SK named after him. Flt. Lt. Louis (Lew) Eric John Murphy   b- ca 1923, d- Age 23 Svc Number- J20191 Born in 1923 in Moberly, Cheshire, England October 6, 1944 awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) - No.427 Squadron   Wife- Mrs. L. E. J. Murphy, Ottawa. Discrepancy- one records says husband of Delys D Murphy of Charlottetown PEI, Son of Squadron leader Ernest Eric Murphy and Edith Gladys V. Murphy of Britannia Heights, Buried in Pinecrest Cemetery, 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 Aug 1944 he piloted an aircraft of a bomber force detailed to attack Forte De Nieppe His airplane sustained severe damage,  but he still flew it back to base. He had completed many sorties by this time. Flt. Lt. James Pyle Jessee  b- Feb 2, 1920, in Spring City, Russell Co., Va. USA d- Age 26 Svc Number- J26908 - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.184 Squadron   Buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Burnaby BC Wife- Mrs. Marjorie Eleanor Jessee, nee Southerland, of Vancouver BC married ca 1945, had a daughter Carolyn Lee Jessee James was an American from Lebanon Va, USA  joined RCAF in 1941, spelled Jessee in a Pittsburgh paper Father-  Conley Trigg Jessee b- Mar 25, 1885 in, Russell Co., Va. d- Aug 2, 1934 in, Russell Co., Va.  Mother- Margaret Augusta (Gussie) Jessee, both of Lebanon, Virginia, USA James was fourth of 10 children. 6 brothers, 4 daughters. one of 5 brothers who served in WWII. a 6th brother was not old enough, and served later in Germany. Grandfather- John Henry Jessee Flt. Lt. William (Bill) Jacob Louis Weicker b- ca 1916, d- Age 30 Svc Number- J15301 D.F.C. and bar, Family Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross  - No.405 Squadron Buried in St. Peter's Lutheran Cemetery, Kitchener, ON  Father- William Weicker Mother- Emma E. Weicker, North Kitchener, ON. F.O. Robert (Sandy) Cowan McRoberts,  b- ca 1918, d- Age 28 Svc Number- J12537  -Family Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross   - No.421 Squadron    Wife- Mrs. Rose A. McRoberts  288 Yale Avenue, Winnipeg, and Sudbury ON. Son of Henry Hunter McRoberts and Jessie Park McRoberts of Calgary; Buried in Burnsland Cemetery. Lot 105. Block 11. Sec. G., Calgary AB. Leading Aircraftman (LAC) Vitantos Luke Kirko  b- ca 1926, d- Age 20 Svc Number- R276396 Buried in Mount Hope Cemetery,  Range 45 Sec18 Grave 121, Toronto ON. Sister- Miss Mary Kirko, Toronto. Son of Kaiton and Victoria Kirko of Toronto   *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