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Date: | Monday 20 April 1953 |
Time: | |
Type: | Avro Lancaster B Mk 10 (MR) |
Owner/operator: | Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) |
Registration: | KB966 |
MSN: | 37267 |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 7 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | near Centerville, NS -
Canada
|
Phase: | Approach |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RCAF Greenwood, Nova Scotia |
Destination airport: | RCAF Greenwood, Nova Scotia |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:Monday. On April 20, 1953, Lancaster KB966 of 103 Search & Rescue Unit, was returning to base with a crew of seven, after having completed a seven hour search for a missing Lockheed Ventura. The Ventura, CF-FAW, of Spartan Air Service had been missing since April 18 on a night flight from Gander NL, to Ottawa, ON. The Lancaster pilot flew to the search area off the west coast of Newfoundland by IFR, but it appeared he was flying VFR on the return flight. The weather forecast for Greenwood at the time of the return was given as a low ceiling of 700-800 feet with the cloud base touching the tops of the hills to the north of the airfield.
The Lancaster was observed north of the airfield flying very low in and out of the base of the cloud. Approximately seven kilometres north of Kentville, near the hamlet of Centreville, the aircraft crashed and burned in a wooded area at a height of approximately 700 feet. Six of the seven crew were killed, the survivor being seriously injured. Investigators determined that the pilot attempted to remain VFR in IFR conditions.
Crew
F/O Kenneth Benson (Survived/Injured)
F/O Eric Travers Lewis, (Plt) 103 KU
F/O Douglas Alan Hamilton, (CPlt) 404 (MR) Sqn
F/O John Dane Curzon, (Nav) 103 KU
Sgt Neil McCarrol, (FE) 103 KU
LAC William Douglas Fifield, 404 (MR) Sqn
AC1 George Patrick Shoul, 404 (MR) Sqn
Sources:
1. RCAF Crash Comment 1953-2, (Pg 34), Incident 50
2. Saskatoon Star-Phoenix 21 April 1953, page 2
3.
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM6K8B_Lancaster_KB_966_Crash_Memorial 4.
http://www.gendisasters.com/nova-scotia/12583/centreville-ns-air-force-bomber-crash-apr-1953 5.
https://www.auroranewspaper.com/pdf/2012/3348news.pdf (Pg 5)
6.
http://ns1763.ca/kingsco/browmtn.html Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
20-Jan-2016 12:44 |
JINX |
Added |
18-Jun-2017 16:10 |
TB |
Updated [Date, Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Phase, Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
02-Jan-2018 20:35 |
TB |
Updated [Date, Source] |
08-Oct-2018 22:50 |
Dr.John Smith |
Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
09-Oct-2018 22:16 |
Dr.John Smith |
Updated [Narrative] |
13-Oct-2018 16:50 |
stehlik49 |
Updated [Operator] |
30-Dec-2018 21:12 |
TB |
Updated [Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
17-Feb-2022 17:06 |
Cosmo |
Updated [Aircraft type, Cn, Phase, Source, Narrative] |