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Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter Since 1995

Aviation Memorabilia Newsletter

Since 1995

 
Terry Baker shares this memory.

On September 29, 1983, I was in my supervisor Andy McCready's office, which faces east on the third floor of the C&SS building at Dorval maintenance area. We were discussing important issues such as the previous evenings Montreal Canadiens hockey game.

Looking out the window, I noticed a group of people wearing suits rather than the traditional workers attire, congregating on the flat roof of the stores building. Then a CL-215 water bomber appeared flying low to the east along the runway, dripping water, so I assumed it had been demonstrating for the crowd on the roof top.
 
As the aircraft proceeded east it was getting lower and lower, I said to Andy "That aircraft is going to crash" until, after passing the cut of the route 13, the aircraft slewed left and crashed in the field. The two occupants emerged and ran away from the smoking wreck. Meanwhile the emergency trucks descended upon the scene.
 
Following is a report from the asn.flightsafety.org: Check link

"A Canadair CL-215 firefighting plane, registered C-GKEE, was damaged beyond repair in an accident at Montreal-Dorval International Airport, QC (YUL), Canada. Both crew members survived. The airplane operated on a demonstration flight for federal politicians and Canadair officials having received a $231 million contract from Canada.
 
Control was lost following a single engine fly past and the airplane crashed near the end of the runway.
 

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