Canada's WORST PILOT

Captain Norman Ramsay.

THERE YOU HAVE IT…the only known photograph of TRANS-CANADA-AIR-LINES L-1049 Super Constellation (call letters, CF-TGG, as seen in the RARE photo) that crashed in Brampton 56 years ago in 1954, at Norman's hands. Norm was attempting to land in Toronto!

No one was hurt, but there was a famous golfer on board the TCA flight. The Connie, however, burned to the ground!

Location of photo is approximate crash location.

FULL STORY, here: www.flickr.com/photos/78215847@N00/4066337145/

Only 3 YEARS LATER, August 4, 1957…Norman, now working for another airline, flying another airplane, a DC-4 for Maritime Central Airways, authored the worst crash in Canadian history (at the time) that would leave 79 passengers and crew dead in a remote spot near Issoudun, Quebec.

Norm flew his airplane INTO an active cumulonimbus cloud, that included heavy rain and strong gusty winds. Most pilots fly around severe weather conditions.

I DID significant post-production work on this photo.



© 2010 Special Projects In Research, © 2010 Paul Cardin

55 YEARS AGO: Trans-Canada Air Lines Super Constellation CF-TGG Crashes in Brampton

FOLKS, I'M GONNA' ask you one question, and one question only.

Does this look like a good place to put a large airliner down?

For a landing??

In 2009?

Nope?

Yeah, that's what I thought.

But on December 17 in 1954, just beyond this, the boarded up Norman Breadner/Monkman farm storehouse… there were no other houses back then, only an empty farmer's field with snow on the ground, this was a great place to land!

Apparently.

So down swooped Trans-Canada Air Lines (TCAL) Lockheed Super Constellation (CF-TGG) L-1049E at 175 miles-per-hour, lights on, wheels down, landing configuration for the instrument approach for Runway 10 at Toronto-Malton airport. Returning from Tampa Bay, direct to Toronto… it's 9:32pm, local Brampton time. The large, brand spankin' new, luxurious, elegantly-designed, tri-tail Lockheed L-1049 Constellation ("Connie" to her pilots) turns slightly, and flies flawlessly, as she responds to Norman Ramsay, the TCAL pilot, at her controls.

She trusts him unconditionally.

Swoosh… touchdown.

Bang, bang, crunch, crunch… gee, this is a strange runway, pilot Norman Ramsay thought.

And no runway lights, either.

Skidding now for 2000 feet.

This can't be Toronto, Norman realizes.

It isn't. Runway 10, at Malton, is twelve miles away.

Somehow, Norman calculated Runway 10 was here, on the Breadner/Monkman farm.

As the roughed up Connie finally slows, it looks like things are actually going to be okay… when suddenly the Connie's wing tip hits a tree.

Damn luck—

What could have been a recoverable situation, now becomes a disaster.

As all pax and crew deplane safely, and without injury… the new pride of the TCAL fleet starts to burn slowly. But it's a miracle crash really. No one was killed, or even hurt.

But this airplane is now on fire, and that's aircraft fuel burning, so very quickly engulfing billows eat up the Connie's wing.

And soon the hopelessly stranded airplane burns to the ground, in the middle of that field that was posing as Runway 10.

From a distance, Brampton firefighters, locals, and the aircraft crash survivors look on, as firefighting equipment is also stranded on Chinguacousy Road, 1500 feet from the luxury airliner, with no way into the field…

The pilot, 34 year old Norman Ramsay was later found guilty of negligence by Ontario's transport department board of inquiry, and had his flying license suspended for six months.

HERE's A RECENTLY FIXED UP TCAL CONNIE: rbogash.com/Connie/connie_reunion.html


EPILOGUE

THREE and a HALF YEARS LATER, Norman now flying for Maritime Central Airways crashed a DC-4 near Issoudon, Quebec on August 11, 1957.

Flying at an altitude of 6000 feet, Norman flew his propliner directly INTO a thunderstorm.

Severe turbulence, power disruption, and finally loss of control of his DC-4 resulted in 79, passengers and crew, perishing.


© 2009 Special Projects In Research, © 2009 Paul Cardin