Death of Canadian Airways pilot named Dean in 1932

[Billie T.]

Hello Everyone,

My name is Bill Thompson. I am a journalist from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

I am investigating three airplane accidents as part of an upcoming article on the history of Kagianagami Lake in Northern Ontario.

The first one happened on March 12, 1932, when a Canadian Airways pilot with the last name of "Dean" died in a crash near the Hudson Bay Outpost on the "Kag." He was flying a Junkers W.33fi airplane. I am trying to find the pilots first name, if indeed his last name was "Dean", as well as the departure site and anything else pertaining to the flight.

The second crash happened on the Kag on Feb. 22, 1959, according to the Library and Archives Canada. The pilot was flying a Cessna 170 and I am looking for any and all information concerning this flight.

The third crash took place in 1963 and the airplane involved was a Taylorcraft BC12D, according to the Library and Archives Canada, and I am looking for any and all information on this flight, as well.

Thank in advance for all your help. I am very impressed with the AVCANADA web site. It's full of Canadian history that most Canadians would never be aware of.

Sincerely,
Bill Thompson

[Gear Jerker]

Unfortunately I'm of no help in terms of answering your questions, but just a suggestion to make sure you get the attention of the right people on this website: Perhaps rename the thread to something like "History of Kagianagami Lake Aviation" and post it in the "General Comments" section. I think you would get more views, and therefore have better odds of the right person/persons seeing the thread.

Best of luck.

[Antique Pilot]

The aircraft was Junkers 33 registration CF-ASI. According to some brief files I have the date of the accident was March 12, 1932. The aircraft had flown from Tashota Lake north east of Nipigon Lake to Kag Lake. I have another source and will try to get more information.

[Antique Pilot]

My files show that were no fatalities in the Junkers accident. Could be an error though.

[Billie T.]

Hello,

Yes, I originally read where there were no fatalities in this crash, but documentation in the form of a letter to Hudson Bay Company from Mr. G.A. Thompson, the operating manager of the Canadian Airways Limited

In the letter, Thompson writes about the crash on the Kag.

"Mr. Bates was watching the machine approach, but lost sight of it just prior to landing behind an island. In seeing smoke arising from behind the island, Mr. Bates ran to the machine and pulled pilot Dean's body from the wreckage. While he was doing so, the machine was burning, the flames having just reached the pilot's cockpit. Mr. Bates displayed courage of no mean order, as the flames were then close to the gas tanks, which might have caught fire and exploded at any minute . . . The courage shown was a of a very high order, particularly as Mr. Bates probably could see from the wreck that the pilot was already beyond assistance."

Bill Thompson

[grimey]

The Junker's pilot's name was Godfrey W. Dean. AQW was also owned by the same company, it's unlikely they had two G. Deans as pilots.

3651 A0117 James A. Richardson Collection Cf-Asi Junkers W-34 Aircraft, Crash At Hagarmagamin Lake, On. G.W. Dean, The Pilot Was Killed. Cf-Aan Fairchild Fc 2-W2 Seen Behind Aviation ▪ Aircraft ▪ Accidents 1932, March

10578 A0330 Miscellaneous Collection C-Aqw Junkers Aircraft. Ernest Bates, Hbc Manager At A Small Outpost Where Godfrey Dean Was Accidently Killed In Winter Of 1931-1932 Aircraft ▪ Aviation ▪ Personalities 1932

http://images.uwinnipeg.ca/action.cfm?s ... splay=grid
http://books.google.ca/books?id=pvWHNfx ... rs&f=false

Now more google-fu to find the second guy. Insomnia for the win!

[Moose47]

G'day

The Junkers W.33 f/fi CF-ASI's construction number was J2591. It was given a Canadian Certificate of Registration (No. 1087) on the 5th of February, 1932. So, the aircraft had not been flown by Canadian Airways very long before the crash.

Cheers...Chris