Aircraft Crash Sites

Hi. Thanks for the interseting site. I have tried without much success to find details on the crash of a US Air Force C47 at North Sydney on February 28, 1952. The aircraft was apparently en route from somewhere in New England to Greenland and encountered bad weather over Cape Breton. I understand that the passengers and crew all parachuted to safety and the aircraft went down near North Sydney. If you have any information or a source for some, I’d like to learn more. Thanks, B

There are three (3) additional crashes that I am aware of. They are as follows:

1) November 20, 1942: Crash of Ventura II AE932 crashed 4 miles N.E. of Caledonia, Queens Co., NS @ 2130 hours. All three members of the crew were killed. They were as follows: Sgt. H.O. Male (GB657604); P/O S.E. Sutherland (J/15455) and AC1 T.F. Sargeant (GB1125256).

2) March 13, 1943: Ventura II AJ173 disappeared near Port Maitland, NS. All four members of the crew were listed as “missing”. They were as follows: P/O T.A. Corr (GB138491); P/O F.H. Lalor (J/22229); Sgt. D.A. Cannon (R/103962) and A/S R.H. Faulkner (D/JX366668).

3) April 23, 1943: Crash of Ventura II AE878 crashed 15 miles W of Yarmouth (near Springhaven), NS @ 1230 hours. All three members of the crew were killed. They were as follows: Sgt. J.E. Franckeiss (GB1525643); Sgt. E.R. Self (AUS425367) and Sgt. K.G. Calvert (R/144389).

This is going into my bookmarks.

To Bob Cerovich:

I. too, have been trying to find info on the crash of the USAF cargo plane in Cape Breton in 1952. I have only my memories of it.The plane did not crash in North Sydney. It crashed in Sydney, about 10 miles from North Sydney. How do I know? I was a teen ager living in Sydney when it happened.

The plane crashed in an open field off Alexandra Street. Today, I believe there is a subdivision there.

There was great secrecy surrounding the recovery of the wreckage, as I recall.

A funny anecdote goes with that crash. One of the officers from the plane parachuted into the courtyard of what was then the Cape Breton Mental Hospital. The matron on duty (so the story goes) that evening thought she had an escaped inmate on her hands and she talked him “back” inside. He had tried to explain what had happened and it was not until she saw his uniform and gear that she realized he was telling her the truth.

It is now more than 50 years since that crash (plane was abandoned in a blinding snow storm over Sydney harbour, they thought), so it should be out of the classified area by now. My wife remembers the crash, as well, because the plane came down about a mile from her childhood home.

I realize this is likely not much help, but the crash did take place.

D. K. Clare

ANDERSON, F/O Duncan Robinson (C/204). #1 Canadian Squadron. Killed 30 November 1939 when Hurricane 329 crashed at Dartmouth, NS.