Yukon | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

Crashed at Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, killing the pilot. Aircraft was stolen by the AME, who was not authorized to fly the aircraft solo, and flown recklessly a short distance up the Yukon River valley, before crashing on the southwest side of the river just above Miles Canyon.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver in Carmacks: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jul 13, 1963 at 2010 LT

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver

Operator:

Registration:

CF-MPO

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Government

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Mayo – Whitehorse

MSN:

359

YOM:

1952

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The RCMP's pilot and three policemen were transferring a prisoner from Mayo to Whitehorse. While approaching Carmacks in good weather conditions, the pilot was making a circuit to land when the airplane rolled over and spun into the ground. It crashed in a bank just below the Mayo Road at a location approximately in between the Territorial Garage and the Carmacks bridge. The burned wreckage was found by the Yukon River and all five occupants have been killed. At the time of the accident, weather conditions were considered as good.
Crew:
Sgt K. M. Laughland,
Cpl R. W. Asbil,
Const P. L. A. Malcolm,
Const W. J. L. Annand.
Passenger:
Joseph Phillipe Clement Desormeaux.

Probable cause:

Investigations were unable to determine the exact cause of the accident. Nevertheless, it was established that no mechanical failure occurred on the airplane prior to the accident. The pilot was skilled and it is believed that the loss of control may have been caused by local downdrafts or by a stall due to an insufficient speed.

Crash of a Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar near Whitehorse: 7 killed

Date & Time: Nov 23, 1961

Type of aircraft:

Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar

Operator:

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Elmendorf – Whitehorse – McChord – Ellington

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The C-119 took off from Whitehorse, following another Flying Boxcar, only minutes before the crash. Both were headed for McChord AFB, Washington, on a flight from Elmendorf to Ellington AFB, Texas. The planes and crewmen were returning home after participating in operation 'King Crab II', a joint armed forces maneuver held on Kodiak Island last week-end. The entire 446th troop carrier wing [reserve] from Ellington came to participate in the exercises. During initial climb, an unexpected situation forced five crew members to bail out. Few seconds later, the airplane dove into the ground and crashed 17 miles south of Whitehorse. Three men were found alive while the five occupants of the airplane and two parachutists were killed.

Crash of a De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver on Mt Fox: 4 killed

Date & Time: Oct 2, 1954

Type of aircraft:

De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver

Operator:

Whitehorse Flying Services

Registration:

CF-FHA

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Charter/Taxi (Non Scheduled Revenue Flight)

Survivors:

Site:

Mountains

Schedule:

Whitehorse – Ross River – Vangorda Creek

MSN:

YOM:

1948

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

1896

Circumstances:

The aircraft left Whitehorse Airport for Vangorda Creek with an intermediate stop at Ross River, carrying fuel and personnel Army Survey camps. While cruising in marginal weather conditions at an altitude of 4,275 feet, the single engine aircraft hit the slope of Mt Fox, west of Ross River. As it failed to arrive at Ross River, SAR operations were conducted and the wreckage was found eleven days later, on October 13. The aircraft was destroyed and all four occupants were killed, the pilot George Milne and three passengers.

Crash of a Noorduyn Norseman in Whitehorse

Date & Time: Aug 28, 1953

Type of aircraft:

Noorduyn Norseman

Operator:

Registration:

365

Flight Type:

Military

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Airport (less than 10 km from airport)

MSN:

274

YOM:

1953

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

Suffered a category A accident at Whitehorse. There were no casualties. Struck off register on 24SEP1953 and used for spares.

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-5-DK near Snag

Date & Time: Feb 16, 1950

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

KJ936

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Snag - Snag

MSN:

14664/26109

YOM:

1944

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was taking part to a combined exercice with the USAF called 'Sweetbriar' and consisting to drop paratroopers in a deep snow covered region. Just after liftoff from a remote and snow covered terrain located about 8 miles east of Snag, the aircraft stalled, hit trees and eventually crashed in a wooded area located 20 miles from the border with Alaska. All six crew members were unhurt while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Probable cause:

It was reported that the pilot had had minimal training on the Dakota on skis, on a hard-packed snow surface north of Edmonton. At the accident site, the surface was 14 inches of snow on top of slush, and he found that the skis seemed to dig when he lifted the tail during takeoff. He therefore ended up taking off in the three-point attitude, inadvertently allowing the nose to pitch up excessively after liftoff, resulting in a stall and subsequent crash.

Crash of a Douglas C-47D near Whitehorse

Date & Time: Feb 7, 1950 at 1245 LT

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

45-1037

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Mountains

MSN:

17040/34306

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Aircraft flight hours:

3558

Circumstances:

The aircraft and its crew were involved in a SAR mission after a USAF C-54 was missing in the region of Snag, Yukon, since last January 26. En route, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with low clouds and while flying near a mountain slope, the aircraft was caught by downdrafts and crashed on a snowy and rocky ground. All 10 occupants were rescued while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and abandoned on site.
Photos and more infos on www.dc3dakotahunter.com

Crash of a Douglas C-47B-45-DK near Whitehorse

Date & Time: Jan 30, 1950

Type of aircraft:

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Operator:

Registration:

45-1015

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Plain, Valley

MSN:

17018/34282

YOM:

1945

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The crew was taking part to a SAR mission after a USAF C-54 was missing since January 26. En route, the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing for unknown reason. The aircraft crash landed 32 km southwest of Whitehorse and was damaged beyond repair. All six crew members were unhurt.