328

c/n 328

CF-MPZ

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c/n 328

CF-MPZ

Entries preceded by date are extracts from Canadian Department of Transport archives.

07-Jan-1960 RCMP request CF-MPZ for DHC-3 msn 328 from their block of registrations.

20-Jan-1960 application for Certificate of Registration by RCMP.

• CF-MPZ Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Air Division. Regd 29th March 1960. Initially based at St. John's, NL.

01-Apr-1960 Certificate of Airworthiness #8151 issued.

01-Apr-1960 Certificate of Registration #22968 issued to Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Air Division, Ottawa, ON.

Accident. En route St Anthony, Gander. NL. 01-Mar-1961 Unable to maintain height over rocky, treeless, snow-covered hill near Port Saunders due downdraft, touched down twice damaging rear fuselage, rear ski and right main ski, able to climb away using maximum power and flaps.

07-Mar-1961 authority to test fly and ferry Gander - Ottawa, valid to 06-Apr-1961.

12-Apr-1961 Flight Permit & Temporary Certificate of Registration to test fly for Certificate of Airworthiness renewal, valid to 31-May-1961.

12-May-1961 temporary Certificate of Airworthiness & Certificate of Registration issued, valid to 27-May-1961

Accident: Deer Lake. NL.48.59N/56.51W, 27-Sep-1971 Force-landed in a bog and burned following power loss, Pilot Donald James Klancher.

Total hours since new as recorded in Canadian Department of Transport archives.

25-Apr-1961 - 602 hours

05-Apr-1963 - 1,383 hours

25-Apr-1964 - 1,972 hours

23-Mar-1965 - 2,419 hours

25-Mar-1966 - 2,891 hours

21-Mar-1967 - 3,258 hours

13-Apr-1967 - 3,296 hours

02-Mar-1969 - 4,226 hours

02-Feb-1790 - 4,644 hours

01-Feb-1971 - 5,099 hours

• CF-MPZ Cancelled from Canadian Civil Aircraft Register 28-Oct-1971.

• Destroyed by fire •

Otter 328 was delivered to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Air Division, on 29th March 1960, registered CF-MPZ. It was first based at St.John's, Newfoundland. The Otter crashed 21 miles north-east of Point Saunders, Newfoundland on 1st March 1961 and was substantially damaged. On that day, the Otter with a pilot and two passengers on board, departed from St. Anthony, Newfoundland en route to Port Saunders. The flight was uneventful until the aircraft began to lose height while flying at low altitude over mountainous terrain. Despite the application of power and lowering the flaps, the aircraft continued to lose height and struck the ground at approximately 85 mph in a slightly nose-up attitude.

The Otter continued for a few seconds across the top of a rocky, treeless and snow covered hill. It then became airborne momentarily and touched down again prior to commencing a climb. The pilot considered that he had lost rudder control, but over Port Saunders ground observers advised that the rudder and tail wheel assembly were intact. The flight then continued to Gander Airport, where a landing was made without further incident. The underside of the rear fuselage, the tail wheel ski assembly and the right main ski had been badly damaged. The accident report concluded that when approaching mountainous terrain from the leeward side, the pilot was unable to maintain sufficient height to recover safely from the effect of a downdraft, and the aircraft struck the ground. After temporary repairs at Gander, a ferry permit was issued for a flight to Ottawa, where MPZ was repaired, after which it returned to its base at St. John's.

MPZ continued flying from St. John's until it was written off at Deer Lake, Newfoundland on 27th September 1971. As that report summarised: “Engine failure; material failure of exhaust system; power loss; aircraft force landed in a bog and destroyed in post crash fire”. This crash provided the RCMP with a long-sought opportunity to add a helicopter to the fleet. Bell 212 CF-MPZ, the same registration as had been carried by the Otter, would prove ideal for the rugged conditions and notoriously bad weather of the coastal areas of Newfoundland, also providing twin-engined safety.