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for Ontario Central Airlines research & his book Altar and Throne

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Crowded Skies

  • Jun 10, 2010
  • Posted By: Bruce Whittingham
  • Tags: none

 

This is a short clip taken by my grandfather of two Norseman that collided in mid-air over Kenora harbour on July 25, 1958.  Ontario Central Airline’s CF-IRH was arriving from Ball Lake with the pilot and eight passengers.  Parsons Airways’ CF-BZM was circling in from the south after a trip from Lake Malachi with four passengers, the pilot, and a dog.   Unseen by each other both airplanes came together side to side.  BZM dropped into the water, crushing her floats,  while IRH nosed over.  Full application of power levelled the airplane out as it sliced into the water over the sandbar, ripping off a float before sinking with only the tail section showing.
Out of a total of fifteen people, all survived, the worse injury a broken arm.  BZM, the fifth Norseman built, broke its back and was hauled out behind the hangar to eventually be cut up for scrap.  OCA mechanics recovered IRH and it sat on the landing gear stubs until it was rebuilt and returned to service in Red Lake.
BZM is the red and silver airplane.  IRH is OCA yellow.  The big blue boat is the police cruiser.
A full account of this incident is the subject of an entire chapter in my up coming book about Ontario Central Airlines

This is a short clip taken by my grandfather of two Norseman that collided in mid-air over Kenora harbour on July 25, 1958.  Ontario Central Airline’s CF-IRH was arriving from Ball Lake with the pilot and eight passengers.  Parsons Airways’ CF-BZM was circling in from the south after a trip from Lake Malachi with four passengers, the pilot, and a dog.   Unseen by each other both airplanes came together side to side.  BZM dropped into the water, crushing her floats,  while IRH nosed over.  Full application of power levelled the airplane out as it sliced into the water over the sandbar, ripping off a float before sinking with only the tail section showing.
Out of a total of fifteen people, all survived, the worse injury a broken arm.  BZM, the fifth Norseman built, broke its back and was hauled out behind the hangar to eventually be cut up for scrap.  OCA mechanics recovered IRH and it sat on the landing gear stubs until it was rebuilt and returned to service in Red Lake.
BZM is the red and silver airplane.  IRH is OCA yellow.  The big blue boat is the police cruiser.
A full account of this incident is the subject of an entire chapter in my up coming book about Ontario Central Airlines

 

Comments

  1. Kirunchuk, Danny wrote:
    Jul 14, 2010 at 11:41 AM
    I was an apprentice mechanic based at OCAs Red Lake base when this happened. I know that Keith Parsons was one of the pilots involved (BZM) Who was the other pilot in IRH? Also Ed,where can I get a copy of your book On OCA? I live in Whiterock,B.C. P.S. I was Involved in the original rebuilding of IRH along with Frank Kubisiewsky,Johnny Griffiths and Norm Spraggs. Regards, Dan

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