Date:	Wednesday 2 October 1957
Time:	12:27
Type:	McDonnell F2H-3 Banshee
Owner/operator:	Royal Canadian Navy (RCN)
Registration:	126403
MSN:	113
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	70 mi SW Cape Sable, NS -   Canada
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	HMCS Bonaventure
Destination airport:	HMCS Shearwater, Nova Scotia
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
n October 2, 1957. Lt. H.G. Cooper (22) flying Banshee 126403 of VF-870, was engaged in carrier qualifications on HMCS Bonaventure when the aircraft experienced control problems. The pilot was ordered to return to naval air station HMCS Shearwater, Nova Scotia 30 mi (48 km) to the north. For unexplained reasons, the pilot flew on a southwest heading out to sea. A second Banshee pilot was able to determine the approximate heading of 126403, and communicated with Lt. Cooper to see if he checked his standby compass, but received no response. Shortly after 12:27 local, the ship faintly heard Lt. Cooper saying that he was going to ditch. Following four days of intensive searching, neither the aircraft or pilot were found.

Seven years later on June 2, 1964, fishing trawler Barbara Dawn snagged a large object in her nets approximately 70 mi (113 km) southwest of Sable Island. The fishermen saw that it was an aircraft but as they were recovering the wreckage by the tail, the main part of the aircraft broke away from the tail section and sank. RCN investigators were able to confirm that the object was the wreckage of 126403.

Saskatoon Star-Phoenix 3 October 1957, p11
Banshees in the Royal Canadian Navy, Carl Mills, p281/282
Royal Canadian Navy, Aircraft finish and Markings, 1944-1968, Patrick Martin
http://silverhawkauthor.com/canadian-warplanes-6-jets-mcdonnell-f2h3-banshee_680.html
Ejection-history.org.uk?Aircraft.by.Type/Banshee.htn (Defunct website)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
05-Jan-2018 17:29	TB	Added
14-Sep-2020 15:41	Cosmo	Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]