Date:	Thursday 8 July 1965
Time:	15:41
Type:	Douglas DC-6B
Owner/operator:	Canadian Pacific Air Lines - CPAL
Registration:	CF-CUQ
MSN:	43844/334
Year of manufacture:	1953
Total airframe hrs:	29998 hours
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney R-2800
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 52 / Occupants: 52
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	UI
Location:	32 km W of 100 Mile House, BC -   Canada
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Vancouver International Airport, BC (YVR/CYVR)
Destination airport:	Prince George Airport, BC (YXS/CYXS)
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Canadian Pacific Flight 21 was a domestic flight from Vancouver (YVR) to Whitehorse (YXY) via Prince George (YXS), Fort St . John (YXJ), Fort Nelson (YYE) and Watson Lake (YQH) in Canada.
At 14:42, the DC-6B "Empress of Buenos Aires" took off on an instrument flight plan for Prince George, via Victor 300 and Blue 22 airways.
En route, at 15:29 the crew reported to Vancouver ATC Centre that they had passed Ashcroft at 16,000 feet. They were estimating William Lake at 15:48. At 15:38 hours, Vancouver Centre called Flight 21 and did not receive a reply. About two minutes later, three "Mayday" calls were heard by Vancouver Centre. An explosion had occurred in the left aft lavatory. Smoke trailed the aircraft and the tail separated from the fuselage. The main portion of the wreckage assumed a nose down attitude and spiralled to the left until it crashed into a wooded area.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "Explosion of a device which resulted in aerial disintegration."

Aircraft hijackings and other criminal acts against civil aviation : statistics and narrative reports / FAA
ICAO Circular 88-AN/74 (150-154)
Crash of Flight 21 near 100 Mile House almost 50 years ago still a mystery (Global News, 30-8-2013)

photo (c) Doug Barry; 100 Mile House, BC; October 1965

Date/time	Contributor	Updates