Warbird Registry [no entry]
Aerial Visuals
Early History
United States Navy. TBM-3.
Royal Canadian Navy. BOC 25 July 1950. SOC 9 May 1958. Flew as #312 for Squadrons VS 881 and VU 32.
Simsbury Flying Service, CT – N6586D.
Maritime Air Service, Moncton, NB
#922 CF-XOO 1969
Aerial spray program – Newfoundland
1969 – Pilot Alfred White. Crashed and burned 13 July 1969 on left side of runway at Deer Lake Airport, Newfoundland while doing a formation takeoff. The aircraft was working on the Hemlock Looper spray project for FPL. Pilot White was not harmed. The unburned parts of the aircraft were junked. Don Henry and Steve Holmes watched this aircraft take off. They said that the aircraft was too close to the preceding TBM and got caught in its slipstream. The Department of Transport accident card adds this: “After becoming airborne, when about 30′ above ground, the a/c suddenly went into a steep, uncontrollable left turn. The left wing tip contacted the runway and the a/c impacted on the grass verge then skidded sideways about 500′. It came to rest upright on its under fuselage and burst into flames which completely destroyed it.”
Crash images by Steve Holmes
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You may be interested in this photo link for your site – Terry Fletcher , Sub-Editor for Aerial Visuals
Thanks, Terry. I am aware of these Simsbury TBM images.
I was a pointer on the Nfld project in 1969. We were working an area many miles east of Deer Lake and on the way back saw a large pall of smoke right where the airport should be. What a horrible feeling, not knowing if one of our team had bought it.
Dave Newcombe