Bronson Creek

Upon touchdown at Bronson Creek Airport, the right main gear collapsed. The right wing struck the runway surface and out of control, the aircraft veered off runway and came to rest in a grassy area. All three occupants escaped with minor injuries while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

After landing at Bronson Creek Airport, one of the main landing gear struck a snow wall. The aircraft went out of control and came to rest. All four crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

The DC-4 aircraft (serial number 10389) was on a visual flight rules flight from Bronson Creek, British Columbia, to Wrangell, Alaska, with a crew of three and about 16,600 pounds of cargo on board. The departure from the remote mining strip was uneventful until the aircraft approached 1,500 feet above sea level, when the crew heard a whining noise in their headsets. Believing that the whining was caused by an inverter problem, they switched inverters, but the problem persisted. Electrical instrument indications in the cockpit then became erratic, and the number 2 engine, on the left wing, began to misfire; its fire warning light in the cockpit illuminated briefly, but without the accompanying bell. The captain confirmed visually that the number 2 engine was on fire and the crew carried out the engine fire drill; however, the fire did not extinguish. The captain commenced a right-hand turn to return to the Bronson Creek airstrip, and announced to the crew that the number 2 engine had separated from the wing. The captain applied maximum power to the three remaining engines; however, the aircraft began to lose altitude. Both pilots held the rudder and aileron controls at full right deflection in an attempt to prevent the aircraft from yawing or rolling to the left. The aircraft was shaking violently at that time, and the crew members were unable to read any of the engine or flight instruments. At about 50 feet above ground level, just short of the Iskut River, the pilots closed the throttles. The aircraft descended rapidly, and the burning left wing struck a tree just as the fuselage contacted the surface of the river. The three occupants escaped the burning aircraft, and the first officer and load master swam to safety. The captain is missing and is presumed to have drowned. The aircraft was destroyed.

After takeoff from Bronson Creek, while climbing to a height of 800 feet, the crew initiate a left turn when the left wing rolled to an angle of 30°. The aircraft stalled and crashed, bursting into flames. Both occupants were killed. The aircraft was carrying a load of gold.

The aircraft was on a scheduled visual flight rules (VFR) flight from Terrace to Iskut to Dease Lake to Bronson Creek and back to Terrace, British Columbia. The aircraft departed Terrace about 1005 Pacific standard time (PST) and arrived Iskut about 1145, departed Iskut about 1155 and arrived Dease Lake about 1230, and departed Dease Lake about 1250 and arrived Bronson Creek about 1340. All of these flights were completed without incident, and the aircraft departed Bronson Creek for Terrace at about 1350 with the pilot and three passengers on board. Ten minutes later, the pilot spoke on the radio to a pilot who was flying from Smithers to Bronson Creek when the two aircraft passed each other approximately 20 miles east of Bronson Creek. This was in the Iskut River valley just east of the confluence of the Forest Kerr River and the Iskut River. This was the last reported contact with the aircraft, and the pilot did not report a problem at that time. An air and ground search was started after the aircraft was reported missing, but the aircraft was not found and the search was abandoned. No emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was detected. The wreckage was found by chance on 05 August 1994, nearly four years after the accident.

On final approach to Bronson Creek Airport, the right engine caught fire. The crew reduced his altitude and completed an emergency landing in an open field. After touchdown, the aircraft slid for few dozen meters and eventually came to rest, bursting into flames. Both pilots evacuated safely.

After touchdown, the aircraft went out of control, veered off runway, lost its undercarriage and came to rest. All three crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Upon landing at Bronson Creek, the single engine airplane lost a wheel. It veered off runway and came to rest. There were no casualties but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.