Remnants of the Slesse Glacier when walking across the … On this day, a Trans-Canada Airlines plane, destined for Calgary from Vancouver, crashed into the east face of … It might be sure the altimeter was set wrong short before reaching Voncouver Airport. Thank you for your time! Canadian Immigration & Naturalization Records Privacy Policy. Icing Conditions. The plane crashed into Mount Slesse near Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada, on 9 December 1956 after encountering severe icing and turbulence over the mountains. I'd be happy to discuss this tragic event with you. The searchmaster believes the pilots's report was incorrect. In the mid 1990s, attention was focused once more on the tragedy when two hikers returned from a trip to Mt. Compilation, design, artwork and concept covered by copyright. The search will be concentrated in an area within 30 miles of Hope. Legend has it Fred Beckey never worked after visiting the mountain and climbing the NE Buttress because he found the missing money belt. Mr. Rien van Tilborg, Is this film from the crash site from 1956? The crash wasn't even found until May when some climbers came across pieces of the plane. STURTRIDGE was accompanied by his wife, the former MILDRED ALFORD of Winnipeg. At the time, icing conditions prevailed from 4,500 feet upward. A load check has to be done anyway before take off. MR. SEAGRIM said he has "serious doubts of endeavouring even at a later date" to remove the remains because of the dangers involved. David Smith. A report that a bright light seen for a few minutes atop a 4,000 foot mountain in the Okanagan valley at 11 p.m. PST Sunday might be the lost plane was considered "highly improbable" by the searchmaster. Thank You. This mountain made the news in December 1956 when the Trans Canada Airlines flight 810 lost an engine and became iced in winter storm conditions, got off-route trying to return to the Vancouver airport, and crashed on Slesse's Eastern flank near the summit killing all 62 people on board. [email protected] and I'll reply. As we were not able carrying much along we took just one bale down. The radar fixes showed the plane could be up to 30 miles from Hope. Privacy Policy. . Welcome to Mt. 6. Could you please email me with his name? At first light, 18 planes -- the 12 RCAF aircraft and six others -- took off from airfields here and on Vancouver Island to search an 100 square mile area extending from the B.C. ALLAN CLARKE, 35, of Montreal radioed that he had passed Hope and was turning back to Vancouver. "The extreme turbulence over the mountains is buffeting even the biggest planes," said RCAF Sqdn. Database and records searchable by surname. My grandfather was aboard this plane (Russell S. Stratton), and I would love to come and see the memorial. Mount Slesse Memorial Trail ~ Flight 810 Crash Site - YouTube Please watch my other given answers in this case by today. Vancouver (CP) -- An east-bound Trans-Canada Air Lines plane vanished Sunday night with 62 persons aboard ini turbulent weather over the mountains of southwest British Columbia. One did live in Calgary the other in Vancouver. Free Trial - Ancestry.ca. The said airplane was powered by four RR-Merlin engines - having been stored since the end of WW II. My parents moved to Chilliwack just past the Slesse Memorial from Coquitlam and were originally from Saint Boniface Manitoba. I have just finished reading these comments...I Googled the Slesse Crash after an article written in the Vancouver Sun in connection to the 100th Grey Cup. Chilliwack, BC - Slesse Mountain NOTE: CLICK IMAGES FOR A LARGER FORMAT . The trailhead is a short distance ahead to your right, look … 30-Mile Focal Point. I knew we were going to encounter this debris and actually hadn’t given it much thought. My Fathers School chum was engaged to Denise B. who tragically died in the accident. At the third peak of Mt. I suspect it … Contact me. Canadian Military Records There were relatives of the victims, officials of the RCAF, the transport department, the RCMP and TCA. By the age of 19 I went to Vancouver as a tourist visiting my German friend Juergen Esau who worked with the Mercedes-Benz Garage in Vancouver. "This is going to be tough searching weather," the searchmaster told his crews. On the cairn you will find one blade from a propeller and multiple other pieces of debris. A Mountaineer party on a hike Sunday stumbled upon plane fragments which set off the helicopter search. 7. A radar station that plotted the lost plane reported it just east of Hope at 7:09 p.m. Database and records searchable by surname. Sorry, your comment about the Royal Mail is just wrong. The author treats the crew and passengers and their families with empathy. [email protected]. They were the only ones to actually set foot on the treacherous rock slide-threatening pocket in the sheer vertical slope where the main portion of the plane and crash victims were scattered. I have been researching this event for a number of years and would appreciate communicating with you. GenDisasters is a genealogy site, compiling information on the historic disasters, events, and tragic accidents our ancestors endured, as well as, information about their life and death. I found this site by researching my uncle's death. Peachland, where the light was seen, is about 100 miles east of the search area. It was flight 810 and was due in Calgary at 9:15 p.m. From there it was scheduled to fly on to Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto and Montreal. More moderate weather prevailed later, with temperatures in the high 40s. (CP) -- The victims of Canada's worst air disaster, for five months lost without a trace, seem destined for a mass burial service as unidentified human fragments. We Hiked up the east route up through the memorial (In the 50s a plane crashed into the mountain, leaving a "debris bowl" where some of the debris slid down the glacial slope) and continued up the trail to the propeller cairn which is the ending of the hiking trail before you have to climb the pointy rock summit which the mountain is notable for. William Knight (a peak within the Cheam Range of mountains, 20 kilometres east of Chilliwack – see Image #3). It’s a spiritual hike. It had exploded 7,970 feet up on Mount Slesse. Copyright ©2003-2019, All rights reserved. [1] All 62 people on board died, making it one of the worst airline crashes ever as of that date; [2] it still ranks as the sixth worst air disaster in Canadian history. A memorial is constructed near the end of the trail below the eastern ramparts of the mountain. My trip to Mt. Greetings: The Vancouver Province said a little girl's dress, a half-buried high-heeled shoe, a dozen paper cups, some coins and bits of newspaper are among the few traces of the 62 persons who died. It is in this basin that one starts to encounter all of the aircraft debris from the plane crash in 1956. Five members of the Canadian Football League, returning from an all star game, were killed. If you are interested in the history of this tragic event, I can be reached at: Nothing was heard from the plane after 7:09 p.m. when the pilot turned around to come back to Vancouver. If you look for it, you can see the wreckage from Flight 810 in this photo, from the tragic plane crash in December 1956. An RCMP officer at Hope said he heard a big plane pass over the district between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Other people there also heard it, said the officer. He said: The airplane operated on a flight from Vancouver International Airport, BC … Slesse Mountain, usually referred to as Mount Slesse is a mountain just north of the US - Canada border, in the Cascade Mountains of British Columbia, near nort. If you email me at: [email protected] I'll reply. Chilliwack, B.C. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/british-columbia/mt-slesse-memorial-site Although the book deals with a Trans Canada Airlines (TCA) crash into Mount Slesse in Dec 1956 and is a somber book to read - the book is extremely well written and held my attention throughout the book. A. RANKIN, superintendent of flight operations for TCA here, said: "The plane carried no flares or emergency radio -- only extra blankets." Are you able to drive up to, or close to the crash site? "Try the peaks first and get down within 100 to 200 feet of the ground you are searching." He intended to make the tour within one day - but on the way back we had to bivouac at the timber line drying our cloth at an open fire place. His first officer was JOHN BOON, 26, of North Vancouver and the stewardess was DOROTHY BJORNSSON, 24, of Swan River, Man. Radar Track. There were mountaineers who Tuesday ascended Mount Slesse's perilous southern ridge to the 6,600 foot level. Two RCAF Cansos taking part in the search returned to the Sea Island base here two hours after the 7:30 a.m. PST takeoff due to turbulent weather. The first one is already up as you can see, and it was taken by my uncle in 2008 from his friend's small, two person plane as they flew up the valley. A land search team was being formed at Vancouver to go to any area to which evidence points as the place where the airliner came down. Gillian, Hanns, The area where the plane is believed down is mountainous and rugged, pocked with lakes, carved by canyons and gorges. The pilots climbed to 19,200 feet (5,900 m) by 6:55, when they experienced a fire warning indication in No. Browse by State  AL | AK |  AR | AZ | CA | CO | CT | DC | DE | FL | GA | HI | IA | ID | IL | IN | KS | KY | LA | MA | MD | ME | MI | MN | MO | MS | MT | NE | NC | ND | NH | NJ | NM | NV | NY | OH | OK | OR | PA | RI | SC | SD | TN | TX | UT | VA | VT | WA | WI | WV | WY, Canadian Birth, Marriage, & Death Records Gillian. Footballers Aboard. My Grandmother, Georgina Kafoury, was on that plane. Also standing by at Vancouver were an air force medical team of two doctors and two nurses. White this is purely conjecture, that is all we have to go on." In a dramatic description of the scene of wreckage and death, BRODA told his story to SIMMA HOLT a feature writer for the Vancouver Sun. I have been researching this tragic event for the past 16 years with the purpose of writing a book, much of which has been written. 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