Both aircraft were from the No. 435 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force and were manufactured in 1974.[2][3] Trucker Lead (serial number 130330) possessed a unique camouflage paint scheme called "grey ghost" which it was painted with in 1982 that featured three shades of grey rather than green like on subsequent aircraft.[4]
Trucker Lead was being flown by Capt. Lonnie Register, an exchange pilot from the US Air Force. Capt. Register was a Vietnam veteran who was in his last year of service before he planned on becoming a commercial pilot.[5] Trucker 2 was being flown by Capt. Robert W. Drake.[6]
Accident
The accident occurred at 7:15 PM following a ceremonial flypast of the mess hall to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the RCAF.[7] The aircraft were part of three plane formation with Trucker Lead in the front.[8] The planes began an attempt of a manoeuvre known as the "battle break" that involved climbing and then turning in unison. During a left bank at 1,500 feet on approach to the runway, Trucker 2's wing collided with the wing of Trucker Lead causing both planes to plummet to the ground and explode near the end of the runway.[9][10] One of the engines from the planes fell and crashed into a garage were one person was present causing minimal damage.[9] One of the aircraft crashed into a wooden warehouse storing a Avro Lancaster from WWII while the other crashed between two fuel storage tanks scattering debris over an area equivalent to four city blocks.[5] Both planes burst into flames, levelling the warehouse and melting nearby vehicles. The explosions shot fireballs into the sky which were visible from nearby Namao.[7] Miraculously neither of the fuel tanks ignited despite the intense heat.[7]
Victims
The RCAF publicly released the names of the Canadian servicemen who died in the accident after contacting loved ones.[4][7] Capt. Register's identity was confirmed by a public affairs officer for the Pentagon.[10]
It took one and a half hours to put the fire caused by the crash under control.[9] During the night as the fire continued to rage residents of northeast Edmonton were asked to restrict water use in order to keep the water pressure high for the firefighters.[10] Both flight recorders were recovered from the crash and a five member inquiry was led as to the cause of the accident.[11] The accident report has never been made public but a news release on the report by the Department of National Defence stated that "based on information from the flight recorders and eyewitness reports, the investigating team was able to determine the first aircraft began the climb as briefed, but delayed the turn by four to five seconds."[11] The total damage of the accident was estimated at $50 million (equivalent to close to $130 million adjusting for inflation).[11]Base commander at the time Col. Peter DeTracey was moved to a desk job in Ottawa following the incident. Despite the accident report seemingly clearing him of wrongdoing in the eyes of many, he was not returned his position.[11]
See also
Green Ramp disaster - a deadly mid-air collision on a military base in the United States
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