ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 203551
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| Date: | Tuesday 25 April 1944 |
| Time: | 09:30 |
| Type: |  Consolidated Liberator B.VI |
| Owner/operator: | Royal Air Force (RAF) |
| Registration: | EW148 |
| MSN: | 703 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5 |
| Other fatalities: | 10 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Montreal -
 Canada
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Montreal-Dorval International Airport, QC (YUL/CYUL) |
| RCAF Gander NL |
RAF Liberator EW148, was being ferried by No. 45 (AT) Group when it crashed six minutes after takeoff from RCAF Dorval at 09:30. On initial climb, the aircraft started to lose altitude over central Montreal. It just cleared Mount Royal, and narrowly missed the Sun Life Building, the Bonaventure Railway Station and a school before slamming into tenements on Shannon and Ottawa Streets in the community of Griffintown in Montreal, Québec. The five crew members and ten civilians on the ground were killed in the ensuing explosion and fire. It was thought that the pilot was trying to reach the St. Lawrence River to ditch the aircraft.
The aircraft’s initial destination was RCAF Station Gander, Newfoundland, with a final destination in India. The aircraft was being flown by a crew of five including three Polish Air Force airmen and one each from the RAF and RCAF.
The cause of the crash was considered to be the structural failure of the tail plane. Due to the complete destruction of the airframe, the reason for the failure was unknown, but weather was considered to have a bearing on the accident.
Sources:
Saskatoon Star-Phoenix 26 April 1944, p1ff
http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_5.html
http://griffintown.org/history/docs/presentationBomberCrash1944.pdf
https://montrealgazette.com/sponsored/mtl-375th/from-the-archives-airplane-tore-into-the-heart-of-griffintown https://vimeo.com/138260054
Google Maps: 45°29'41.7"N 73°33'33.3"W
Joe Baugher: Consolidated B-24J-15-CF Liberator, USAAF 42-99800, to RAF as Liberator B.VI EW148
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 29-Dec-2017 16:28 | TB | Added |
| 26-Apr-2018 05:13 | rarcand | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Phase, Departure airport, Source] |
| 03-Mar-2019 10:06 | YJ44 | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Other fatalities, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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