Donald Holden

Biography

62 ABOARD TCA PLANE MISSING IN MOUNTAINS VANISHES IN B.C. STORM - PILOT TURNED BACK AFTER MOTOR FAILED. Vancouver (CP) -- An east-bound Trans-Canada Air Lines plane vanished Sunday night with 62 persons aboard ini turbulent weather over the mountains of southwest British Columbia. No trace of the plane has yet been found, and the search is being hampered by rough flying conditions. It was last reported near Hope, 100 miles east of Vancouver, at 7:09 p.m. PST. "There's more to this than meets the eye," Sqdn. Ldr. G. L. SHEAHAN, RCAF searchmaster, said today in briefing the 97 airmen taking part in the search. "We feel the aircraft is likely down in an area southeast of Hope," he said. Two RCAF Cansos taking part in the search returned to the Sea Island base here two hours after the 7:30 a.m. PST takeoff due to turbulent weather. "The extreme turbulence over the mountains is buffeting even the biggest planes," said RCAF Sqdn. Ldr. SHEAHAN. "But we'll stick with it as long as possible." Nothing was heard from the plane after 7:09 p.m. when the pilot turned around to come back to Vancouver. He said a motor had failed. "He could have lost his radio control, he could have blown up," said Sqdn. Ldr. SHEAHAN. "You'll be looking for wreckage and the signs of an explosion and in that case you'll probably see bits and pieces of a tail assembly." "You'll be looking for signs of life, of course. White this is purely conjecture, that is all we have to go on." Read more: https://www.gendisasters.com/british-columbia/6034/mount-slesse-bc-plane-crashes-mountains-dec-1956

(Note: The wreckage of this airliner was found on the slopes of Mount Slesse, near Chilliwack, British Columbia. The debris was not located until May of 1957, over 5 months after the crash.)

Sources

• Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba Canada 1956-12-10
• Winnipeg Free Press Manitoba 1957-05-16