Otter 45 was delivered to the RCAF on 18th November 1954 with serial
3684. It was retained by No.6 Repair Depot, Trenton as a reserve aircraft,
before going back to DHC in January 1956 where modifications were
incorporated by the RCAF's 12 Technical Support Unit at Downsview. When
these were completed, the Otter was assigned to 408 Squadron at Rockcliffe
on 9th April 1956. In September '56 the Otter joined the Goose Bay Station
Flight, replacing 3661.
For the next few months, 3684 flew out of Goose Bay until it came to grief
on 15th December 1956. The Otter, on skis, was on a Christmas supply run to
a number of points along the Labrador coast with parcels and supplies. It
touched down on the ice at Postville after which the port ski broke through
the ice as the pilot was taxying to the shore. The port wing came to rest on
the ice. The load was removed to lessen the danger of further break-through
but despite this precaution, the Otter sank into the salt water and had to
be abandoned by its crew. It was some days before personnel from Goose Bay
arrived to try and retrieve the Otter, by which stage it was thoroughly
frozen into the ice, and their salvage efforts came to nothing. The Otter
was left there over the Christmas period.
After Christmas, salvage specialists from No.6 Repair Depot at Trenton
arrived. They found that the Otter had settled into the ice, so that only
the tail section and the upper rear part of the fuselage was showing.
Tripods were set up in the front and rear to support the aircraft while the
ice was cut away from the wings and engine. Serious trouble developed when
the chain hoist was tightened at the front end, resulting in the breaking
away of the whole engine assembly. The salvage crew eventually managed to
recover the engine from the water, but by that stage the cylinders were
badly damaged.
A heavy tripod was erected over the fuselage and ice was again cut away from
the wings. The aircraft was then lifted so that the fuselage cleared the ice
by six inches. The wings were removed, and the ice which had accumulated in
the cabin was removed, to lighten the load. The ice on the roof of the cabin
was 18 inches thick by this stage. The fuselage was further raised and the
undercarriage removed. A cradle was formed from boom logs and the Otter was
towed to the beach. The salvage operation had taken a month, in temperatures
of 10 to 30 below zero.
Despite all this effort, it was found that 3684 had been too badly damage to
be a repairable proposition. The accessible components were removed and the
remainder was destroyed on site as being “valueless for salvage”. The Otter
was officially stricken from the inventory on 11th March 1957. In the
meantime, Otter 3681 (39) had arrived at Goose Bay on 30th January 1957 as a
replacement for the ill-fated 3684.
History courtesy of Karl E Hayes from DHC-3
Otter: A History (2005)
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