Date & Time:
Feb 26, 1943 at 0800 LT
Type of aircraft:
Lockheed L-414 Hudson
Operator:
Registration:
BW634
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Military
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Yarmouth - Yarmouth
MSN:
414-6313
YOM:
1941
Country:
Canada
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
4
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The twin engine airplane departed Yarmouth to escort the SS Princess Helene, a passenger and cargo ferry operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). While cruising over the Bay of Fundy, the airplane caught fire, exploded in mid air and crashed into the sea some 27 km northwest of Digby. The airplane was destroyed and all four crew members were killed. Only two dead bodies were found.
Crew:
P/O John Basil Bond, pilot,
P/O John Nathan Treadwell, navigator,
Sgt George Beverley, wireless operator and air gunner,
P/O James Lorne Kenneth Daly, wireless operator and air gunner.
Crew:
P/O John Basil Bond, pilot,
P/O John Nathan Treadwell, navigator,
Sgt George Beverley, wireless operator and air gunner,
P/O James Lorne Kenneth Daly, wireless operator and air gunner.
Probable cause:
The exact cause of the accident was not determined. Nevertheless, it is believed that the in-flight explosion occurred after fuel fumes ignited by smoking in the cockpit. Practice of smoking in this type of aircraft be prohibited due to possibility of petrol fumes congregating in cockpit from leaky fuel system.
Final Report:
BW634.pdf137.49 KB
