Navajo crash.

[goldeneagle]

I do not know if this is just an urban legend or did it actually happen. The story goes that the wreckage of a Navajo was found in the B.C. mountains but there was no evidence of the pilot being in the wreckage. It is surmised that the rear door came open so the pilot plugged in the autopilot and went back to close the door and somehow fell out to his death. Has anyone ever heard of this accident?

I remember this one, I was working off the YVR south side at the time, rumors were rampant for a while.

The flight in question was the regular Loomis bag run going north. I'm not sure if final destination was YQZ or YXS. Apparently the pilot stopped responding on the radio in the vicinity of 100 Mile House. Wreckage was found considerably farther north either later that day, or the next day. I do have memory of seeing an aerial photo of the impact, if memory serves correctly, it was on the ice on Lake Williston. Scuttlebut at the time, the location of the wreckage was consistent with a ho on altitude and heading hold then just kept flying until one engine quit from fuel starvation, and the location was consistent with the fuel load the aircraft was reported to be carrying. The photo I remember showed a debris field not much larger than the wingspan of a ho. It was a long time ago, it's possible the photo was a different incident and my memory has connected them over time.

I think the poster suggesting Navair is correct, they were doing the Loomis runs back then.

The rumor mill was really active for a while when this one happened, but none of it could be substantiated. What we did know for certain, aircraft departed with a load of bags and one pilot on board. There were no human remains found at the impact site.

As an aside note, about 15 years ago I remember reading about hunters out of 100 mile that stumbled on some human remains out 'in the middle of nowhere'. Talk at the time there was an attempt to connect those remains to this incident, but I never heard if anything came of that.

[cncpc]

I do not know if this is just an urban legend or did it actually happen. The story goes that the wreckage of a Navajo was found in the B.C. mountains but there was no evidence of the pilot being in the wreckage. It is surmised that the rear door came open so the pilot plugged in the autopilot and went back to close the door and somehow fell out to his death. Has anyone ever heard of this accident?

I remember this one, I was working off the YVR south side at the time, rumors were rampant for a while.

The flight in question was the regular Loomis bag run going north. I'm not sure if final destination was YQZ or YXS. Apparently the pilot stopped responding on the radio in the vicinity of 100 Mile House. Wreckage was found considerably farther north either later that day, or the next day. I do have memory of seeing an aerial photo of the impact, if memory serves correctly, it was on the ice on Lake Williston. Scuttlebut at the time, the location of the wreckage was consistent with a ho on altitude and heading hold then just kept flying until one engine quit from fuel starvation, and the location was consistent with the fuel load the aircraft was reported to be carrying. The photo I remember showed a debris field not much larger than the wingspan of a ho. It was a long time ago, it's possible the photo was a different incident and my memory has connected them over time.

I think the poster suggesting Navair is correct, they were doing the Loomis runs back then.

The rumor mill was really active for a while when this one happened, but none of it could be substantiated. What we did know for certain, aircraft departed with a load of bags and one pilot on board. There were no human remains found at the impact site.

As an aside note, about 15 years ago I remember reading about hunters out of 100 mile that stumbled on some human remains out 'in the middle of nowhere'. Talk at the time there was an attempt to connect those remains to this incident, but I never heard if anything came of that.

I messaged Gideon about this. The aircraft took off from Williams Lake on the last leg in the morning for Quesnel. The wreckage is beside the garbage dump at McLeese Lake. Open door is only a theory because no remains were found.

[7ECA]

Only thing I could find on Google, a reference to a passage in a book:

https://books.google.ca/books?id=wTzw7Q ... sh&f=false

[duCapo]

Well, if it's on avcanada, it must be true.
Having exited the back of a twin otter taxiing on floats once or twice before, I wonder how much force is required to open the front half of the door any meaningful amount in flight. And even if you can, how smart is it to open the front half of any door that closes over the aft, rearward opening half in flight? Sounds like the work of Darwin.

How about opening a door in a Turbine Otter at cruise? Cause that happened over the Hecate Straights and a passenger took a high dive from 5000 feet.

[shimmydampner]

Well, nowhere did I suggest that it was a physical impossibility, merely highly improbable. A person hell bent on doing themselves in, I am sure, could do it. I'm only suggesting that it sounds VERY dubious that an experienced flight crew member could just happen to accidentally stumble out of the back of the aircraft in question, in flight. I'll even go so far as to say that anyone who believes this story with no reservations and without question, is a functional moron with a severe lack of critical thinking abilities.

[pelmet]

I'll even go so far as to say that anyone who believes this story with no reservations and without question, is a functional moron with a severe lack of critical thinking abilities.

Critical thinking might suggest that another reason could be that they are unfamiliar with the door specifics of a Twin Otter because they have never been on one and even if they have as a passenger, didn't take particular note of the overall specifics of its operation.

[Hockaloogie]

anyone who believes this story with no reservations and without question, is a functional moron with a severe lack of critical thinking abilities.

My real name is DB Cooper, and I agree.

https://www.historicmysteries.com/frederick-valentich/

Frederick Valentich was an Australian pilot who disappeared on October 21, 1978.....

[shimmydampner]

Critical thinking might suggest that another reason could be that they are unfamiliar with the door specifics of a Twin Otter because they have never been on one and even if they have as a passenger, didn't take particular not of the overall specifics of its operation.

So, door operation aside, if you heard this obviously passed down story, you wouldn't have any questions? It would sound perfectly reasonable to you?

[86583]

just to set the record straight

the date was july 17, 1985
the aircraft belonged to flight centre victoria
PA-31 C-FKQJ, it was serial #350, not a PA-31 350
pilots name was Mark Bitton
aircraft crashed shortly after departing williams lake for quesnel
aircraft only had 3 or 4 bags on it at the time of the crash, and were canceled cheques, nothing else
aircraft was on contract to loomis
the pilot was never found

the pilots flying this run would let the driver open the door at williams lake and grab the 3 or 4 bags for this stop, and in turn let the driver close the aircraft door as well.. the pilot would remain in the cockpit and only shut the left engine down..

the aircraft impacted the ground in a very steep angle of bank and almost vertical, with the engines probably at cruise power.. it was completely destroyed.. the main cabin door was in about 8 pieces but with the impact marks it was easy to tell the door handle was in the open position at impact.. so was Mark trying to close a door that hadn't been closed properly by the truck driver and got flung out holding onto the grab handle, or, did he open it and jump out.. nobody knows.. the RCMP searched with a helicopter for a few days in the general area looking for flocks of ravens but never found anything.. for the DB cooper side of things, it was discovered Mark had made a few jumps a couple months earlier that nobody was aware of..

Bernie

[Eric Janson]

Well, nowhere did I suggest that it was a physical impossibility, merely highly improbable. A person hell bent on doing themselves in, I am sure, could do it. I'm only suggesting that it sounds VERY dubious that an experienced flight crew member could just happen to accidentally stumble out of the back of the aircraft in question, in flight. I'll even go so far as to say that anyone who believes this story with no reservations and without question, is a functional moron with a severe lack of critical thinking abilities.

It was a Ptarmigan Airways Twin Otter C-GARW

The name of the Pilot was Ted Oliver.

The event happened as previously described. I was working in Hay River at the time.

[pelmet]

It was a Ptarmigan Airways Twin Otter C-GARW

The name of the Pilot was Ted Oliver.

The event happened as previously described. I was working in Hay River at the time.

Thanks, I remember the name now.....

Critical thinking might suggest that another reason could be that they are unfamiliar with the door specifics of a Twin Otter because they have never been on one and even if they have as a passenger, didn't take particular note of the overall specifics of its operation.

So, door operation aside, if you heard this obviously passed down story, you wouldn't have any questions? It would sound perfectly reasonable to you?

I have no questions to ask.

[J31]

Jan 23, 1987 - Pilot. Edward (Ted) Oliver of Yellowknife, N.W.T., died Thursday when he fell out of a plane.

http://pgnewspapers.pgpl.ca/fedora/repo ... Page%20PDF

[shimmydampner]

Cool

[Justjohn]

Well, nowhere did I suggest that it was a physical impossibility, merely highly improbable. A person hell bent on doing themselves in, I am sure, could do it. I'm only suggesting that it sounds VERY dubious that an experienced flight crew member could just happen to accidentally stumble out of the back of the aircraft in question, in flight. I'll even go so far as to say that anyone who believes this story with no reservations and without question, is a functional moron with a severe lack of critical thinking abilities.

It was a Ptarmigan Airways Twin Otter C-GARW

The name of the Pilot was Ted Oliver.

The event happened as previously described. I was working in Hay River at the time.

In addition to that, ARW was the Arctic Sunwest DH6 that crashed in old town fall of 2011. Killing the pilots.