Beaver Tails master index

 previous  next click on arrows to navigate page by page.

c/n 425
52-6070 on Nose Mountain, Alberta.
Photos: Joseph Blum © October 1958 - www

c/n 425

52-6070

x

52-6070 USAF # 1226. L-20 No. 227. Command AF-3. Delivered 12-Dec-1952.

Believed buried

USAF History

52-6070 was made available on 26-Nov-1952 and accepted on 04-Dec-1952 by the 6600th Air Depot AMO (Air Material Overseas Unit), at Downsview, ON., after which it was assigned to the Air Defence Command and delivered to the 27th Air Division at Norton AFB., CA., on 12-Dec-1952 remaining until 13-Oct-1954.

For the next four years it passed back and forth some 24 times between the 919th AC&W Sqd at Saskatoon Mountain, AB and McChord AFB., when it was attached to the 527th Air Defence Group or later when re designated as the 325th Fighter Wing (Air Defence) in Aug -1955.

Emblem of the 919th AC & W Sqd

During this time it briefly returned to Downsview between 03-May-1957 and 27-Jun-1957 for maintenance.

On the 17th Oct-1958 it suffered a fatal crash on Nose Mountain, Alberta. The report is as follows.

On October 17, 1958 a Beaver belonging to the USAF took off from Grande Prairie, Alberta en route to Edmonton, AB., for a routine maintenance inspection. On board were Capt. William Varns, Capt. Walter Brown, Lt. Lawrence Anderson and Sgt. Jackie Herth from the 919th Squadron, Saskatoon Mountain Air Squadron, Beaverlodge, AB. Two hunters were reported missing in the area of Nose Mountain, south of Grande Prairie, and the flight was side-tracked to search for them. The hunters were spotted and the crew radioed that they were going down closer to enable them to drop a note to the hunters. That was the last word from them. A civilian plane with an USAF Sgt. aboard was dispatched from the Grande Prairie airport to search for the missing aircraft. They located it, but had no radio so had to return to Grande Prairie to report. Meanwhile a RCAF Search and Rescue aircraft from Namao, Alberta was dispatched. When they located the crash site, they radioed in the location and continued to circle until a RCAF helicopter from Dawson Creek, British Columbia, reached the site. The helicopter picked up the injured airmen and radioed back that “One of the chaps didn’t make it.” The injured were airlifted to Grande Prairie, AB., and transported by ambulance to the hospital in Beaverlodge. The hunters stayed at the crash site overnight and were airlifted out early the next day when the helicopter returned to fetch the body of Capt. William Varns. The two hunters were praised for their help in assisting the injured airmen. Airframe buried at crash site.