Date:	Tuesday 23 October 1928
Time:	day
Type:	de Havilland DH.61 Giant Moth
Owner/operator:	Western Canada Airways
Registration:	G-CAJT
MSN:	328
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants:
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	High River, 5 miles East of Calgary, Alberta -   Canada
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Passenger
Departure airport:	High River, Alberta, Canada
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
c/no. 328: (500hp Bristol Jupiter XI). C of A 1482 issued 19.6.28; fitted with Short's metal floats. Registered G-CAJT (C of R 471) 8.8.28 to Canadian Vickers Ltd, Montreal; operated by Western Canada Airways, Winnipeg.

Three aircraft for Canada (G-CAPG), (G-CARD) and (G-CAJT) were fitted with Short Brothers floats at Rochester before one was delivered to Canadian Vickers. G-CAJT was sent to Western Canada Airlines Ltd. on a rental arrangement. Later (in October 1928) reverted to landplane. During a proving flight on 23 October 1928, the Giant Moth suffered structural damage in the air and crashed at Calgary, Alberta in a non-fatal accident.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) when struck ridge on take-off from field after forced landing High River, 5 miles East of Calgary, Alberta 23.10.28. En route, the crew encountered technical problems (maybe a structural failure of the fuselage) and was forced to attempt an emergency landing in a prairie located in High River, some 60 km south of Calgary. While all occupants were uninjured, the aircraft was destroyed by a post impact fire; pilot WJ Buchanan & passengers unhurt.

High River is a town within the Calgary Metropolitan Region of Alberta, Canada. It is approximately 68 kilometres (42 mi) south of Calgary, at the junction of Alberta Highways 2 and 23.

1. British Civil Aircraft Registers 1919-1999
2. Air Enthusiast 47
3. Molson, K.M. Pioneering in Canadian Air Transport. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: James Richardson & Sons, Ltd., 1974. ISBN 0-919212-39-5.
4. Jackson, A.J. De Havilland Aircraft since 1909. London: Putnam, Third edition, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-802-X.
5. https://air-britain.com/pdfs/production-lists/DH61.pdf
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Havilland_Giant_Moth#Canada
7. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-de-havilland-dh61-giant-moth-high-river
8. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/dh/p003.html
9. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-C.html
10. Photo at Rochester in July 1928: https://atchistory.wordpress.com/2024/11/11/rochester-aerodromes/
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_River

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
30-Jan-2008 00:29	JINX	Added
30-Jun-2008 05:13	harro	Updated
23-Mar-2025 06:50	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]