Found an old Plane Crash in Northern Ontario

How’s it going everyone.
Hope you all had a great summer.

Last weekend while out in the bush, a couple of us came across an old plane crash.
This plane has clearly been here for a long time.
It has one wing completely severed.
While the other has a large impact mark.

The plane looks like an old WW2 plane, that may had been converted into a crop duster.
The only Markings I found, other than some writing on the side of the cockpit that says “Hicks LTD” or something or other.
On the back of the cockpit it says :

AYD Receiver
(any of our aviation experts know what that means?)

This plane is downed in a remote area in northern Ontario.
About 20 kms as a crow flies from an old railway town where the train would load up on coal or what not.

The place is nonexistent now, but it was once called Amesdale.
Now it’s just an unincorporated plot of land.
From what my Dad has heard, up until back in the 1950s, there was a runway there.

I was thinking perhaps the plane ran out of fuel back in the day while trying to make it to the run way.
It crashed.
And has sat there since.
Surveyors just punched a dirt road through, about 300 meters away from the crash site about a month ago.

Up until then, this area was pretty much untouched.
Makes me wonder what happened to the pilot.

We couldn’t find any bones in the area.
Which would be unlikely considering the area has wolves and bears all throughout.

My wife was digging up a piece of plane she came across.
And when she exposed it, it was a placard that would had been by the motor.
It says Cyclone at the top. And Wright Aeronautical at the bottom.

I got about 45 min worth of video I’m editing.
But also grabbed a load a pictures.

I know it little to go off right now, but I’ll post more pics in a bit.
Perhaps some of you incredible folks can help solve this mystery.

We also might make a grave marker.
Given the condition of the plane.
The extreme remote location and bush density… I don’t have much faith that anyone would had walked out of there alive.


Here’s a few snaps.

Mystery solved! Scroll down














The pilot survived.
He crashed in 71. While trying to deploy fire retardant on a forest blaze.
Turbulence flipped his plane. As he righted it back up, he started hitting the trees and crashed.
He was stuck in the cockpit for 6 hours and was found by a helicopter goin by to the fire.
He watched as the forest fire approached his plane, but his fire retardant deployed and the fire went around him, saving his life.

Here is the news article and some information related to the crash

Link to crash article

This is going to be interesting, I am sure our local aviation experts will be here soon.

I would have thought that it would be much more overgrown by vegetation. The scrap metal looks pristine for the age, could it be because it is aluminium? I would also expect some debre or dirt, it looks very clean in some places.

*puts tinfoil hat on*
time traveling war plane?

a reply to: TDDAgain

Yes the Aluminum looks like it’s in great condition!
I got some pics of steel from the landing gear and it’s rusted right out.

There is even some old wood that was connected to the cockpit.
And a rusted out, small trench shovel.
The handle completely rotted off leaving just the metal head.

ETA

Looking up Cyclone 14, I found this from the wright cyclone series wiki:

Cyclone 14 (Twin Cyclone)
See also: Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone
Wright went on to develop two-row engines with 14 cylinders in two rows of seven, called the Cyclone 14, R-2600. This was installed in the Boeing 314, Grumman TBM/TBF Avenger, North American B-25 Mitchell, and some models of the Douglas A-20 Havoc (RAF Boston)

Link to source
Cyclone wiki

ETA 2

Using that wiki, it looks as though it might match a Grumman TBF Avenger
Just by going off what I saw and comparing it to the 4 planes that used that engine

Avenger

a reply to: Macenroe82

Now you got 101% of my attention because I am already looking at engine specs and saw in the corner of my eye it's not a lot of planes the twin cyclone engine was used.

Can you tell from memory or pictures if it was single or twin engine?

It is a Hicks & Lawrence Avenger. See link for details and more photos of the wreckage.

Link to Aircraft Photo

a reply to: TDDAgain

It was definitely a single engine.

a reply to: wavelength
And here I was cross checking the riveting on the fuselage where it joints the wing on every plane built with that engine lol. Good find!

Check some differences though, looks like in between the article and Macenroe's newer photos, someone sent a load of buckshot right above the first lower letter "e"

files.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: wavelength

You certainly have my respect, Wavelength, I found it in one of my aircraft books as you posted. Kudos!

a reply to: wavelength

Yes! It said Hicks on the side! That’s gotta be it!
Awesome find

Wow dude was trapped in the plane surrounded by forest fire.
I’m glad he survived!

I love threads like this.

Also my respect @Wavelength, you're resourceful and I am not only saying this to poke you into dropping what you are really up to in your threads. :-P

I am too dumb to connect the dots but it feels like you're leading us to a conclusion revolving around electromagnetic waves, vibrations and maybe phase conjugation?

No? By any means?

Happy to help!

Yeah, I can't imagine the terror the poor pilot went through while he was trapped in the cockpit. He was extremely lucky to have gotten out of that situation.

a reply to: TDDAgain

Hey TDD!! Thanks, glad to help. I'm a fan of your research and content as well, especially your work on entrainment.

I've been away for a bit, busy with things. You're close with your guess.
I am but a little electrical nerd with a knack for research and a few ideas that (hopefully) paint a picture of another side of phenomenology not often discussed. I'm glad you've enjoyed my threads so far. There will be more in the future when I have another block of free time to write. Until then, I'll be floating around in the shadows.

a reply to: wavelength

well done!

Very cool thread, this is classic ATS. Applause worthy!

a reply to: TDDAgain

Ya, some hunters musta came across it and used it as target practice. I don't understand why someone would do that. We tried to leave the place just like we found it - even reburied that engine placard. Hoping someone else came across it and has as much fun solving this mystery

a reply to: Macenroe82

Wicked Nice find .

I'm betting a long lost Bush Plane.

This is why I love hiking you never know what your going to come across.

originally posted by: asabuvsobelow
a reply to: Macenroe82

Wicked Nice find .

I'm betting a long lost Bush Plane.

This is why I love hiking you never know what your going to come across.

Wavelength not only found the type of plane, but the crashed plane along with the news report on the crash.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

simply amazing.

a reply to: asabuvsobelow

Yup! An Avenger converted into a forest fire bomber.

Pilot crashed from turbulence over the fire.
Was stuck in the cockpit for 6 hrs. The fire woulda burned him alive but his fire retardant blew and basically saved his life!

Link to plane crash article

a reply to: Macenroe82

BTW, it's nice such a pod cast celebrity comes to mingle with the common folk. It would make a super photo op.

Fantastic find, I bet that was an amazing feeling.

a reply to: network dude

Hehe thanks bro!

And I got a lot of video and pictures of it all.
I should have the video up by next week!

a reply to: wavelength

Again, awesome find!
Thank you for solving the mystery!
It was quite the experience stumbling across that