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| CF-101 Voodoos on the ground at RCAF Station Val D'Or |
On March 15th, 1968 the RCAF lost a CF-101B Voodoo flying with 425 Squadron, from Bagotville... or was it?You see, CFS Val D'Or didn't have it's own planes; planes from several squadrons flew out of CFS Val D'Or on rotation, and logistical support was provided from the nearby CFS Senneterre. So, while researching CFS Val D'Or I found mention that a CF-101 Voodoo crashed in 1968, with a tail number of 17480 (previously USAF F-101B-120-MC s/n 59-480), but some sources say Val D'Or, others Bagotville - easy, I went looking for an "authoritative" source; there are many air plane crash databases online. Unfortunately, there's a lack of info on that one. How... Interesting. I can't find the names of the pilots or any details at all. That's weird, as I can find the names of everyone else who's ever used the ejection seat. The accident is documented as a "Category A", which I believe means a complete write off - but that was only ascertained a month after the accident. Isn't that odd? Maybe they had to wait for an "official" assessment, which took time for someone to do, or be flown in. Operations out of CFS Val D'Or are at least partially shrouded in secrecy because it was one of the few sites where "Canadian" nuclear arms were stored, and those "special weapons" were meant to be used by CF-101 Voodoos. Nuclear accidents are very well documented, as far as I can tell, whenever they happen and no matter how minor, so I don't really expect that there was a nuke-armed-crash, at Val D'Or, of a CF-101, armed with nuclear AIR-2 missiles... but as the base was shrouded in secrecy, it is interesting to contemplate.
I think I need to consult the Archives and Air Photo Library again...
Around 1968 a Voodoo apparently requested permission to enter a big white cloud. Instead, it bounced off the frozen surface of Malartic Lake, and scattered debris for kilometers down the ice. Search archives in the Valdor Star newspaper if possible. There was no report of radioactivity in the lake next door to the town of Malartic.
ReplyDeletePilot Lieutenant Yvon Theriault 22, navigator Captain Harry Bouius 33.
ReplyDeleteI was a USAF Nuclear Weapons Custodian at Val d"Or in 1968 when we lost the CF-101. It was armed with AIM-4C Falcons, but was not carrying the AIR-2A nuclear-tipped rocket. I remember the incident well. Per my recollection, we received word that the aircraft was missing, sent up another CF-101 to look for it, which spotted it in pieces strewn all along the lake surface.
ReplyDeleteI think Quebec Provincial Police first dispatched to secure site and look for survivors. Both aircrew confirmed dead. We at the air station assembled a recovery crew, which included RCAF and USAF personnel. USAF went along because they had "Husky" tractor-like vehicles to retrieve missiles. I can remember our commander, Capt Elvin Nading, accompanied the recovery crew.
You first picture is of F-86 Sabre aircraft and not Voodoos.
ReplyDelete