c/n 408

9425 • CF-BCG • C-FBCG • CF-BCG • C-FBCG  N666SA

C-FBCG

x

• 9425 Royal Canadian Air Force. Delivered 29-Dec-1960. Designated as CSR-123.

Initially allocated to No.6 Repair Depot as a spare and put into storage at the Dunnville, Ontario depot.

08-Feb-1962. Assigned to 411 Squadron, CFB Downsview, ON. It also flew for 400 Squadron.

Accident: Location unknown.06-Sep-1963 Damaged in the course of a training detail from Downsview, The pilot of the aircraft made an inspection pass of the field and landed. When he realised that he could not stop within the confines of the field, he cut fuel and switches. The Otter came to rest against a line of trees at the far end of the field. Heavily damaged.

18-Sep-1963. Removed to by 6 Repair Depot at Dunnville, Ontario, for damage assessment, and  remained in storage until a decision was made to dispose of the aircraft in October 1964.

• CF-BCG Transferred to the Government of British Columbia, Department of Highways. Based at Victoria, Vancouver Island. After rebuild was registered Apr-1965.

• C-FBCG Change of government department to BC Department of Commerce, Transport and Communications. Sidney, BC. Canx 09-Nov-1982.

• CF-BCG Burrard Air, Port Moody, BC. Regd Feb-1983.

• C-FBCG Burrard Air, Richmond BC. Re regd by 31-May-1985 (Photo evidence). Canx 02-Jun-1986.

• N666SA Red Baron Leasing Inc., Anchorage, AK. Regd Jun-1986 Canx 07-Mar-1988.

• N666SA Leased to Sound Adventures Inc. Based Lake Hood. Anchorage, AK. Dates unknown.

• C-FBCG Aerokon Aviation Ltd., Whitehorse, YT. Regd 12-Apr-1988.

Accident: Pelly Crossing 175 ml NW of Whitehorse. 29-May-1990. Pelly Crossing, a First Nations settlement on the bank of the Pelly River. The aircraft was hauling fuel on the day of the accident. During climb out, the Otter lost power and settled into the trees. It crashed and burned, seriously injuring the two on board.

• C-FBCG Canx from Canadian Civil Aircraft Register 05-Jul-1991.

• Destroyed by fire •

Otter 408 was delivered to the RCAF on 29th December 1960 with serial 9425. It was allocated to No.6 Repair Depot as a spare and put into storage at the Dunnville, Ontario depot. On 8th February 1962 it was assigned to 411 Squadron at Downsview, also used by 400 Squadron. It is mentioned in the 400 Squadron history during February 1963, flying to Lake Scugog with air cadets. On 6th September 1963 it was damaged in the course of a training detail from Downsview, flown by a 411 Squadron crew. Two of the Squadron's Otters were on a proficiency training trip. One landed successfully on a nine hundred foot grass strip some twenty miles from base and the pilot reported that the surface was satisfactory. The pilot of 9425 made one inspection pass of the field and landed. When he realised that he could not stop within the confines of the field, he cut fuel and switches. The Otter came to rest against a line of trees at the far end of the field. As the accident report summarised: “The pilots selected a field which was too small, with obstructions at the end, leaving no margin for error”.

Such was the damage sustained by 9425 that this crash marked the end of the aircraft's military career, after only eighteen months of active duty. It was taken to Dunnville for assessment by 6 Repair Depot, where it arrived on 18th September '63, but it remained in storage and a decision was made to dispose of the aircraft in October 1964. It was transferred to the Government of British Columbia, Department of Highways and after rebuild was registered to them as CF-BCG in April 1965, the BCG of the registration standing for BC Government. It was based at Victoria on Vancouver Island. There was a later change of registration to C-FBCG and operator to the BC Department of Commerce, Transport and Communications. The Otter was painted in an all-yellow scheme and remained in government service, flying throughout British Columbia, for eighteen years. It provided a full range of bush services to the government, including many wildlife surveys.

The Otter was sold to Burrard Air Ltd., of Port Moody, BC and was registered to that company in February 1983. It was used by Burrard Air for more than three years on charters along the BC coast. In July 1986 it was sold to Red Baron Leasing Inc., of Anchorage, Alaska who leased it to Sound Adventures Inc., based at Lake Hood in Anchorage, registered N666SA. In April 1988 it was sold back to Canada and reverted to C-FBCG, registered to its new owners, Aerokon Aviation Ltd., of Whitehorse in the Yukon. Its period of operation was brief and it was destroyed in an accident on 29th May 1990 at Pelly Crossing, a First Nations settlement on the bank of the Pelly River, 282 kilometres northwest of Whitehorse. BCG was hauling fuel on the day of the accident. During climb out, the Otter lost power and settled into the trees. It crashed and burned, seriously injuring the two on board. The following year, Aerokon Aviation acquired Otter C-FODW (403) as a replacement.

Some more information on the crash of 29 May 1990 which destroyed Otter CF-BCG.  The Otter was on a diamond drill move from the Pelly Crossing Airport in the Yukon to a site 45 miles to the east. On board was 2,300 pounds of drill equipment, the pilot and one passenger. The aircraft’s weight with this load and fuel was just under the maximum authorized weight of 8,000 pounds. The Pelly Crossing Airport had a three thousand foot east/west gravel runway, at an elevation of 1,870 feet in mountainous terrain. The pilot departed runway 07 using a reduced power setting and upon becoming airborne he pumped the flaps to the full-up position. The aircraft began to settle towards the trees off the end of the strip. The pilot applied full power and as the aircraft began to settle into the trees closed the throttle. The Otter descended into the trees, burst into flames and was destroyed by a post-impact fire. The pilot was able to egress the aircraft and helped the passenger out. Both received serious burns and other injuries.

The TSB determined that the use of partial power for take-off and the retraction of the flaps prior to reaching a safe altitude and airspeed caused the aircraft to lose altitude and contact the trees during the climb out.  The registration was cancelled as “destroyed” on 5 July 1991.

Full history up to 2005 courtesy of Karl E Hayes © from DHC-3 Otter - A History (CD-ROM 2005), now with added and updated information which Karl has supplied for the benefit of the website.