Lancaster KB999 crashed in a lake.... what happened to her?

[RMAllnutt]

Just noticed on this very interesting site, dedicated to Lancaster KB882, that another lancaster, KB999, crashed more or less intact in a lake, near Churchill, Manitoba in 1953.



The aircraft looks remarkably undamaged, judging by the period photos. What happened to her after this?

Cheers,
Richard

[T J Johansen]

According to the second WW Directory it was derelict in Manitoba in 1986/90. Does not give any location, so it might very well still be in the lake!

T J

[peter]

This has been discussed at length in the past on other forums so before it gets out of hand and a bunch of wixers head off with their wellies and a life raft I will give you an update on her. A friend of mine over flew the lake at low level and said that after many years of ice action the aircraft was finally crushed into a mass of aluminum and what remained of her sank to the bottem. apparently a main wheel washed up on shore at one point as well. Sad but unless someone wants a go at suba diving on her then this pic is the last anyon will see of poor old 999

[Cees Broere]

Perhaps any usable parts still there?

Cees

My father's first posting in the RCAF was as a Lanc fitter in Comox, BC with 407 Sqn in the early fifties, and the Lanc has been his favourite airplane ever since. In the early 80's when I was in high school he noticed on a list of "complete Lanc survivors" that 999 wasn't there and he remembered the story (and for some reason the serial #) of this Lanc and decided to write Crown Assets Disposal Corp about it. Long story short, he ended up with title to the airplane after sending them a cheque for $1.00.

Tony Jarvis (another WIXer) saw the airplane in the mid seventies when he flying a Navajo in the area and said that at the time it appeared intact. I don't believe he has any pics of it but I'll ask him this weekend. About 1986 dad donated the airplane to the Western Canada Aviation Museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba and they had some pictures that a CAF Lockheed Aurora had recently taken of it and there was definitely a main wheel assembly washed ashore on the beach, but what you could see of the airplane was just a submerged ball of wreckage, so one has to assume that the ice got it and drug it into deeper water (although the whole lake is relatively shallow). I looked for it one day in 1997 when I was in the neighborhood with a Twin Otter and I had designs on landing on the beach and at least nabbing the landing gear, but the weather was pretty lousy that day and I wasn't able to get into the lake. I do have the coordinates of it stashed somewhere that I'll dig up and post later once I get back home.

Dan

[Shay]

HAVE TANKS, WILL DIVE !!!

Shay