Date:	Thursday 7 January 1943
Time:	06:50
Type:	Consolidated Canso
Owner/operator:	5 Sqn RCAF
Registration:	9737
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 7
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Gander Lake, Newfoundland -   Canada
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RCAF Station Gander
Destination airport:

Narrative:
On 24 December 1942, 162 Sqn RCAF, based in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, was ordered to send a detachment of 2 aircraft and 3 crews to Gander, Newfoundland, leaving the unit with no serviceable aicraft. Bad weather delayed the move until the 27th, when the detachment joined 5 Sqn RCAF at Gander. The latter squadron received another guest on 2 January, Sqn Ldr Norville Everett Small, the commanding officer of 113 Sqn RCAF. This very experienced pilot had just received a DFC for having done five attacks on enemy submarines off Nova Scotia, three of them successful, and had actually sunk U-754 on 31 July 1942, Eastern Air Command’s first kill. On 5 January Small held a general discussion in the morning with all aircraft captains. Subject for discussion was largely reduction of equipment weight to enable more gasoline to be carried. Final suggestions eliminated 1,269 pounds from the equipment load. This included changing from 450-lb depth charges to 250-lb Torpex depth charges, removal of bow and tunnel guns and 1,000 rounds of ammunition from each of the blister guns. Other minor equipment deductions were agreed to.

On 7 January 1943, Small took off at 0645 hrs from Gander for an ASW patrol as the pilot of Canso 9737 of 5 Sqn. All six other members of the crew belonged to the 162 Sqn Detachment. Small intended to go out 600 to 700 miles and the plane was loaded with fuel, ammunition and depth charges to within a few pounds of its maximum allowable 34,000 lb take-off weight.. His machine was preceded by Canso 9739 piloted by F/L B.H. Moffit, who was airborne from 0615 hours and experienced severe turbulence over Gander Lake.

The Canso 9737 took off in light snow showers and gusty southwesterly winds (15-20 mph). As they crossed Gander Lake they experienced the same severe turbulence than the former aircraft. The up and down drought were so severe as to cause changes in altitude as much as 300 feet in either direction. The aircraft began to fall very fast, with a tilt and a slide to starboard and then it started to clip the tops of trees in rising ground and cut a swath as it plowed through the trees for about 200 feet. At a flat angle of approach before the wings were ripped off. The hull and engines continued another 300 feet, then turned over and caught fire. Flt Sgt J E V Banning, the 2nd wireless operator/air gunner, dropped out of his seat in the "tower" and fell to the ground, while Sgt W E Wilson, the 1st flight engineer, who had been in the "fitters" seat below him, was thrown clear of the wreckage. Benning's ribs were broken and Wilson had lacerations to his head and face and both were thoroughly shook up. They looked for other survivors but found no sign of life in or around the burning wreckage, and it was obvious the five crew members had been killed on impact: Sqn Ldr Norville Everett Small DFC AFC (pilot), Flg Off Aubrey Maxwell Tingle (co-pilot), Plt Off Donald Leslie Hudson (navigator), Flt Sgt John Thomas Mangan (1st wireless operator/air gunner), and Sgt Harold Ernest White (2nd flight engineer) were all killed in action. While being only the co-pilot on this flight, Tingle was one of the senior pilots of 162 Sqn had been mentioned in despatches on 1 January 1943.

After daybreak Banning and Wilson searched and found an emergency ration kit, two personnel kits and two dinghies. The area was covered in deep snow and they didn’t know how far they were from Gander Lake so they decided to make a lean-to from the salvaged tems and wait for rescue. During that day and the following night, several aircraft, including Trans Canada Airlines, flew over them and each time they fired a distress flare but it didn't attract attention. 5 Sqn RCAF had only realized something was wrong in the evening, when the aircraft did not return from patrol and it was feared Small has gone too far and he had run out of gas.

Next morning 3 Canso and a Flying Fortress from Ferry Command were sent to search the missing aircraft, joined by other aircraft from Torbay, Goose Bay and Yarmouth. Meanwhile at the crash site, Banning and Wilson realized there would be no quick rescue and decided to try and make their own way to the Lake. It was heavy going and they didn't reach the lake until late that evening.They followed the shoreline to a point opposite the US Army wharf an lit a fire and waited. Later that night they saw the lights of a car coming down the road to the wharf and realizing this might be their salvation they fired off a flare. Shortly after this an aircraft took off from the airport and as it circled their position they fired another flare. A boat soon came over and picked them and they were taken to the RCAF hospital and treated for their injuries. The crash site was found to be 3 miles from Gander.

https://caspir.warplane.com/bin/warplanero.exe?action=webprograms&subaction=personneldocument&personnelno=600009371
http://wartimeheritage.com/storyarchive2/crash7jan1943.htm
5 Sqn RCAF operation record book, January 1943 (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c12229/381)
113 Sqn RCAF operation record book, January 1943 (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c12243/271)
162 Sqn RCAF operation record book, December 1942-January 1943 (https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c12259/1050 and https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c12259/1056)
https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/home-defence/attack-on-u-754-by-hudson-625-of-113-br-squadron-july-31st-1942/
https://fr.findagrave.com/memorial/47250872/norville-everett-small
https://www.rcafassociation.ca/heritage/search-awards/?search=c1379&searchfield=servicenumber&type=all
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gander_Lake
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=48.931111&lon=-54.734167&z=11&m=w

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
20-Dec-2020 20:17	tachel	Added
20-Dec-2020 20:39	tachel	Updated [Operator]
18-Sep-2022 05:06	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
22-Sep-2023 06:20	Laurent Rizzotti	Updated [[Location]]