Looking for info on old crash site.

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AEROMONKEY
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Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by AEROMONKEY »

Trying to find some tips on how to find an old crash site...The accident happened in the Black Sturgeon area of N.Ontario near seagull lake on November 31 of 1956. The Aircraft involved was a B-47 strato jet with the US military. 1 crewman was able to escape the aircraft and parachute to safety 19 miles away near Ray Lake. A u.s military helicopter was able to locate the pilot and he was brought to the Fort William airport. In 1972 a hunter in the ray lake area came across a .22 calibre pistol an old parachute and food rations that belonged to the pilot and was able to make contact with him and were lifelong friends after.

Would like to find the crash site.....not sure if anyone knows where i could find that kind of info.... Seagull lake may have been renamed as i cannot find it on the maps....ideally i would like to find coordinates. If any of wise ones here could point me in the right direction that would be awesome! I found this info from our Local Museum and come up with nothing on google..looking to do some exploring!
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Meatservo
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by Meatservo »

Hey, I might know something about that. At least, I know about a B47 crash in Ontario. I haven't worked there in years so I can't actually remember where Black Sturgeon is... is it north of Hearst? If so, here's my story: I was flying a drill out of Hearst in a single Otter, about ten years ago, and a helicopter pilot asked me if he could come along in the right seat. On the way to the camp, he pointed out a swamp with something glinting in the sun. When we flew over it, it turned out to be the tail feathers of an F86 Sabre poking out of the swamp. It was quite recogniseable. The helicopter pilot told me what he had heard about it: apparently they were testing the heat seeking mechanism for a new missile, and the heat seeking doohickey was mounted on the fighter. The fighter was chasing a B47 to test the heat seeker, and the two planes somehow collided and crashed. The Sabre splucked into the swamp, and is still there. The B47 crashed further west and I think the wreckage was recovered. I could try to take a wild guess as to where this swamp is, if I could get my hands on a VNC from the area, but I imagine that camp is gone now, so it would only be a guess. What I remember most about that rip was the hotel in Hearst had free porn... :rolleyes:

There's an ancillary story that some people got out there before the USAF and managed to pilfer some stuff. I used to be friends with an AME who had a very large jet engine in his yard, and I used to wonder where it came from after I heard this story.
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AEROMONKEY
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by AEROMONKEY »

nop dont think thats the one.....Black sturgeon is close to thunder bay....between thunder bay and Nipigon! .....I have a newspaper from Dec 1st 1956 that has this as the headline story.
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Brantford Beech Boy
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by Brantford Beech Boy »

http://www.accident-report.com/world/na ... a/ont.html

Meatservo,
a quick google search found this listing of USAF aircraft lost in Canada. the last two entries are from 1959 and sound like your story (except the fighter was a Delta Dart vice Sabre). The database lists the location 41 miles from Pagwa, Ontario.
Google Earh puts Pagwa very near Hearst.

couldn't find any listing for a lost B-47 in Ontario in 1956....

hope this helps
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Meatservo
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by Meatservo »

Yeah, tripleB, that sounds like it, except the tail feathers sticking out of the swamp, well I could have SWORN I recognised the shape of the rudder and elevators, which of course, the delta dart doesn't have. But of course, a guy's memory sometimes loses details and the imagination fills in the blanks, perhaps in this case the tail feathers of a sabre.

Now that you mention it, I am familiar with the Black Sturgeon wreck. The guy with an engine in his yard may be familiar with that one as well. I vaguely remember reading about it on the 'net a few years ago. The details are out there if you dig around a little.
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fel
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by fel »

Not the one you are looking for but this is located near where I live.....USAAC B24M crashed 1945, 14 Feb. 10 crew. Rip boys!
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Highflyinpilot
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by Highflyinpilot »

Wheres the rest of it? or is that all thats left?

If that is all that is left why would they take evrything and leave the prop? You should take that home, that would be a cool conversation starter.
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fel
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by fel »

High Pilot,
Pretty much everything is still there. Weapons, uniforms and some remains were recently removed by authorized pers. It is a protected site that is remote and few know about it fortunately! Most War crashes have been vandalized, stolen etc I go to the site several times a year and always have a feeling that the spirit/presence(??) of the crew is there. I found an oxygen mask and pilot seat last time in. The seat still had the seat belt attached but had obviously undergone an accident. I suck at posting pictures but will try a few more. The first is of a main gear and wheel. After all these years the ply wires are still hanging off the remains of the rim where they burnt.

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Highflyinpilot
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by Highflyinpilot »

That is awesome fel, i would love to go see something like that, if you have anymore pics I would really love to see them.
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fel
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by fel »

Hamilton Standard makes one hell of a prop!!
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fel
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by fel »

If you use your imagination and kinda look to one side, you can still see the stars and bars of the US army air corp insignia on this wing section.
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fel
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by fel »

One of my favourite pictures is the hand written assembly letters/numbers on this wing section from over 65 years ago....!

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Highflyinpilot
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by Highflyinpilot »

thank you fel, very interesting. i have always been interested in accident site such as this one.
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Bear319
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by Bear319 »

This is not the one you are looking for either, but is a conversation starter. I hve spent hours up there looking around at all the parts laying around. RIP boys

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CD
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by CD »

Hey AEROMONKEY...

You're still looking for that B-47? :mrgreen: I posted a bit of information for you back in 2007 when you first asked:

AvCanada: Looking for Info - Bomber crash northern ontario

However, that accident is reported as having occurred on 17 December 1959. It is the only B-47 loss in Ontario that I am aware of and was located "...130 km north of Calstock, Ontario, or 65 km northeast of Pagwa, Ontario".

Edit to add:

Looks like there was another one lost. The following information is from an order form for a book written by the pilot:
"Colonel {Robert} Slane was assigned to Barksdale AFB, LA from 1954 to 1964. (A Major during this period) He was flying on a night-simulated combat mission over Canada on 30 November, 1956 when he was forced to eject from a malfunctioning B-47 aircraft. He survived the Canadian wilderness until rescued by helicopter the following day.

Journey to Freedom and Beyond - by Col. Robert M. Slane
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Highflyinpilot
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by Highflyinpilot »

Thanks bear, those are alsoe great pics, must be nice to be there and really sift through all the parts and peices.

Tnakhks again fel and bear.
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AEROMONKEY
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by AEROMONKEY »

Hey thanks CD...the the second one you posted is the one i'm looking for...i recently viewed a local newspaper dated Dec 1st 1956 The big story is about the crash i'm talking about. Havnt been able to find any info other then the fact that it happened....the stories around here say that it was carrying a nuclear weapon......I'd like to know where to find an exact location of this! anyone know where to look for that?
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CD
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by CD »

I love a good mystery. Here is the information I've located on both of our accidents from a book called U.S. Nuclear Weapons in Canada, by John Clearwater:
THE NIPIGON CRASH

INCIDENT: crash after mechanical failure during training mission in formation.
CLASS: Dull Sword
DATE: 1 December 1956 00:05z
BASE: Barksdale Air Force Base
AIRCRAFT: B-47 "Stratojet," s/n 2025
PILOT: Maj. R.M. Slane ejected at 12,000m and survived
CREW: all three crew died in crash
OPERATION: "Nurse Maid"
WEAPONS: none likely carried at this early date
PLACE: near Nipigon, Ontario. 49.01N 88.48W


THE PAGWA CRASH

INCIDENT: mid-air collision between B-47 and F-102; both went down in flames
CLASS: probable Dull Sword
DATE: 17 December 1959 18:22z
AIRCRAFT: B-47 "Stratojet"
PILOT: Capt. Minor (co-pilot Lt. Adams)
CREW: 2 survived, 2 died
AIRCRAFT: F-102 "Delta Dagger"
PILOT: Lt. Treu (F-102) died
WEAPONS: nuclear weapons could be carried
LOCATION: 130 km north of Calstock, Ontario, or, 65 km northeast of Pagwa, Ontario 50.30N 84.18W

(Dull Sword is an Air Force reporting term that marks reports of minor incidents involving nuclear weapons, components or systems, or which could impair their deployment. This could include actions involving vehicles capable of carrying nuclear weapons but with no nuclear weapons on board at the time of the accident.)
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fel
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by fel »

AeroMonkey,
Try PMing SAR_YQQ with your request. RCC have a data base of all known crash sites with lat and longs that he may be able to access.

Bear,
Thanks for your pictures. A buddy of mine has been thinking of making a sign for the B24 site and the one in your picture will make a great template to give the story and request respect for the artifacts at the same time.
One last picture.....Gun turret.
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AEROMONKEY
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Re: Looking for info on old crash site.

Post by AEROMONKEY »

You guys are the best! thanks for all the help....those coordinates seem to work into the story! I'll keep you posted!
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