The Val D'or Crash 

      It was Friday night in the fall of 1970 (Friday the 13th of all dates). We had just started night shift at 17:00 hours.  If my memory serves me correctly the members of the crew were as follows: WO Jack Kropelin, Master Cpl Lorne Duschene, Cpl Frank O'Meara, Cpl Marcel Ethier, Cpl Ben Burgess, Cpl Herb MacDonald, Cpl Kirk Muller, Cpl Reg Revien, Cpl Glen Bougeous, Cpl Ray Brazeau and Cpl Jim McLaren.
     It was ball season at the time and the Fire Hall had their own team in the base league. There was an agreement with the Fire Chief that on duty ball players would be allowed off to play ball if all firefighter ball players would respond in the event of an emergency.  As events unfolded around 17:20 hours (when the crash bells sounded) we had at least three of the crew away at a ball game.  The rest of us were back at the hall doing vehicle inspections, clean-up, etc., as occurred at the beginning of every shift.
     I was the driver of the G13 that night and had it running during my inspection, so I could hear the control tower talking to the duty dispatcher in the alarm room. I knew that an aircraft had crashed.  I donned my gear and immediately left to pick up the Platoon Chief who was playing ball two blocks from the fire hall. The other two fire fighters were already running to the hall.  I informed him that an aircraft went down in the woods behind the transport section. The crew members at the hall responded with the G13 and one MFV.  Two other MFV's were left behind for the fire fighter ball players to respond with. 
     By the time the ball players reached the hall and dressed, the first response trucks were gone. Not knowing the details and the normal thing was to head for the runway, the two response MFV's started for the runway.  The control tower seen this and radioed the lead MFV that they were going the wrong way.  The aircraft had gone down 180 degrees behind them.  Both drivers of the two MFV's applied the brakes but the rear one didn't stop in time and crashed into the lead vehicle.  No one was injured, so they proceeded in the right direction of the crash.  The rear MFV with the front end damaged didn't get far when steam started to emit from the main engine and had to be abandoned.  The lead MFV stopped, picked up the crew and carried onto the crash scene.
     First of all, we could find nothing to indicate a crash site. There was no smoke or any other indications of an airplane crash.  The aircraft had crashed into very dense woods and was well hidden from view.  The control tower could give us general references only.
     There was a second road located about one quarter of a mile away which ran parallel to the one we were on.  It was decided that we would check that road out, but we found nothing.  We then turned to the first road for another look.  It was on our return that we saw 27 native students walking abreast out the bush.  there were only minor injuries, the majority of the passengers were just very badly shaken.
     The firefighters loaded up with the portable fire extinguishers and rescue equipment.  They back trailed the path made by the passengers coming out from the downed aircraft.  As I started down the trail, I looked back and noticed that no one was told to stay with the vehicles, so I went back to man the radio and pass on the information that I could gather from the mobile FM radios.  
     It was an hour or more, seems like 10 hours waiting, before the crews returned carrying stretchers with three injured crew members.  The pilot and co-pilot were cut up around the facial area and covered in blood.  The third member was strapped to his stretcher with a neck brace on.  It was later determined that he had a broken back.
     On take off, the DC 3 aircraft had lost power on the port engine.  The aircraft veered and crashed into the woods.  When the aircraft made contact with the treetops, it started to spiral.  When the nose made contact with the ground it made a complete 180 degree rotation causing the nose of the aircraft to move 90 degrees to the right.
     The pilot was found motionless, approximately 30 feet to the front of the aircraft. The co-pilot was still in his seat harness, also motionless and dangling from the side of the aircraft.  The Flight Engineer, with the broken back, was still in his seat behind the cockpit area on the pilots side.
     The rescue procedure was very difficult with all the sharp metal, massive abundance of electrical wires and the danger of fire.  Fuel was spilt all over and was still leaking from the tanks.  The rescue was a success but could of turned into a disaster at any moment.
     The passengers and crew all survived with the most serious injury to the third crew member.  that being a broken back.
     The MFV with the front end damage was written off.  The other MFV was sent out for major repairs.  Both drivers were fined $25.00 for carelessness.

Donated By Frank O'Meara