::: UNDERSTANDING THE FLIGHT 621 CRASH — What Really Caused the Air Canada DC-8 Crash in Castlemore, Ontario?

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WHEN I WENT TO DC-8 SCHOOL at the ABX Training facility in Wilmington, Ohio, the DC-8 pilot-trainer there showed us, on a visually open version of the DC-8 ground spoiler mechanism—the new in-flight prevention device retrofitted into the ground spoiler mechanism.

 

 

Far too late to save Flight 621.

 

 

But finally, there it was—and it looked to be such a simple mod.

 

 

People had to die because DC-8s lacked this until 1973?

 

 

A $500 retrofit from Douglas Aircraft or rather, after the 1968 merger, McDonnell-Douglas DC-8s? Really?

 

 

The ground spoiler problem was known for years before the 621 air disaster—this couldn’t have been fixed before?

 

 

So, finally, in 1973, another catastrophic crash of a “Stretch” DC-8-61 (Loftleidor - Icelandic airline) occurred at JFK, and the NTSB (National Transport and Safety Board ) hammer came down.

 

 

The DC-8 ground spoiler mechanism would finally be changed in two ways.

 

 

First, a protective assembly was required that would NOT allow the ground spoilers to extend, accidentally during flight. Second, the system had to stop the ground spoilers from being deployed manually during flight, by an overriding decision of the flight crew.

 

 

Sadly, again, too late to save Flight 621.

 

 

There were other factors in the crash. Erroneous FAA approved Douglas DC-8 Operation Manuals and just as erroneous Air Canada DC-8 Flying Manuals - all DC-8 types for starters.

 

 

The manuals stated the ground spoilers couldn’t be deployed in flight. Soon every DC-8 pilot flying, and the whole aviation industry knew they could. That was as unbelievable, as it was unsafe. There were several documented instances (various airlines) where the ground spoilers had done just that—extended. Accidentally, or by manual deployment of the flight crew. Either way, it was just bad, bad, design. And in the case of Flight 621 — lethal.

 

 

These DC-8 pilots and co-pilots were just trying to deal with an unsafe and unpredictable ground spoiler system. Spoilers do just that, they spoil the ability of an airplane to stay in the air. And they are the only thing that keeps an airplane on the ground during landing. Because, as former TCA pilot Harry Bell (deceased) told me, “an airplane loves to fly.”

 

 

Pilots everywhere were afraid of the DC-8’s ground spoilers.

 

 

Once armed, these spoilers could proceed to the next stage, extension, and do so unexpectedly. An electrical surge or even a pilot thinking he had only armed the spoilers sometimes discovered he had, in fact, extended the spoilers in flight! Usually, at about 2000 feet, roughly around the same time one had dropped the 8’s landing gear, so no harm done. Still, it shouldn’t have happened. or been possible. That was unnerving.

 

 

DC-8 pilots, worldwide, had come up with work-around solutions to remove the danger the spoiler system posed to their flying machines.

 

 

Captain Peter Hamilton and Captain Don Rowland had their own different work-arounds. Who was flying as captain for that flight got to use his “system” and the other, the sitting co-pilot (first officer), would co-operate.

 

 

On Flight 621 that’s where their competing systems got into trouble. After laughing off an argument, Hamilton and Rowland went with Rowland’s spoiler deployment system, even though he was the co-pilot on the 621 flight. At 60 feet above the ground, Rowland went to arm the spoilers, but instead skipped that step…and pulled the spoiler aft, extending the DC-8’s spoilers immediately. Flight 621 hit the runway with incredible force.

 

 

One thing, here, why did Don extend the spoilers, instead of just arming the spoilers?

 

Douglas Aircraft redesigned the ground spoiler lever on the new “Stretch” DC-8s. The older smaller DC-8s had a spoiler lever that resisted movement. One "wrestled" it into the armed position, so to speak. A movement in the moment one isn't likely to forget.

 

On the new, bigger DC-8s, it took very little effort to arm or deploy the spoilers. I’m guessing, but I think it just slipped Don’s mind (the process execution), as he was likely still distracted from his "soft spoiler argument" with Peter Hamilton who was “tired of fighting it”. Don was attending to other details during the very regimented, and labour intensive, DC-8 landing sequence.

 

 

Since the Air Canada DC-8 fleet comprised roughly 50/50 new, bigger…with 50% older, smaller DC-8s, and each group's airplane with different spoiler lever tension. Switching from one type of DC-8 to another might pose a transference problem for some in a crisis, or worse…in a moment of habitual repetition. Folks, we’ll never know.

 

 

Had Flight 621 crashed right at the airport because of the now famous spoiler error, the pilot and co-pilot might have been mostly at fault for the crash.

 

 

But, when the Air Canada DC-8-63 hit the runway, it lost an engine as it tore away from the starboard wing. Critical electrical and fuel lines were severed…which immediately resulted in a wing fire! Add to that, there was now a ten foot gaggle of loose sparking and arcing wiring hanging from the DC-8’s damaged wing. Now—with all these problems in tow, Flight 621 was airborne again.

 

 

Folks, the wing fire NEVER should have happened.

 

 

Never, never, never…

 

 

DC-8 engines were designed with exploding separation bolts!

 

In the event of unexpected engine stress, or if a DC-8 engine snagged something immovable, like, let’s say a runway—exploding engine bolts would ensure the engine would shear off cleanly—and not take volatile fuel lines and sparking wiring along with the departing engine. No harm, no foul.

 

 

But, clearly these exploding separation bolts failed on Flight 621's DC-8 and a deadly wing fire DID result.

 

 

Another faulty Douglas Aircraft design error. I repeat, the separation bolts failed to do what they were actually designed to do.

 

 

This ghastly wing fire meant the DC-8 was now on borrowed time.

 

 

From the Flight 621 air disaster timeline, we learned that “borrowed” time was roughly about three minutes, and distance-wise 8 miles or 14 kms of flight time. The time and distance Flight 621 travelled from Toronto airport (YYZ) to where it crashed in Castlemore, ON.

 

 

It’s hard to believe, but on top of all this—Douglas had yet another design flaw built into the DC-8 that led to Flight 621’s crash!

 

I'm not kidding. I'm not exaggerating. Analog gauges in the cockpit!

 

 

That’s why the flight crew—Captain Peter Hamilton, First Officer Don Rowland, and Second Officer Peter Hill had a hard time getting a grasp on what was ACTUALLY happening to their DC-8! When power is cut to analog gauges, they “freeze”. So your airplane could be bleeding fuel…but since the fuel gauge has no power now, (wing tear and damaging engine separation) the cockpit gauge IS still registering "FULL". Same with oil gauges, hydraulic gauges, etc.

 

 

Remember, people…these guys have only three minutes, three lousy minutes, to pilot their large, and now compromised DC-8 to safety.

 

 

They won’t make it.

 

Partly because gads of time was just eaten up—trying to figure what the hell was going on with their DC-8…all along being fed "false positives" by misleading cockpit gauges.

 

 

Soon enough the wing fire will eat through the right wing. The second engine will fall off, the wing will split with one portion falling on the Wilbur Duncan* property, and the second portion falling on the Parr Farm acreage across the road. The struggling DC-8 will finally crash past the Parr property, and near to the Burgsma residence in Castlemore.

 

 

But in spite of all these converging Douglas Aircraft design flaws, and spoiler deployment errors by the air crew, Flight 621, could have been saved.

 

 

And we can turn to a more recent crash, the Concorde crash, to understand the failure that was the final undoing for Flight 621.

 

 

The 1970 Inquiry Report gave a “pass” to one group who featured prominently in the crash.

 

 

The Tower. Or ATC (Air Traffic Control) in modern parlance.

 

 

And in many folk’s opinions, their actions or lack there of, sealed the fate of Flight 621.

 

 

On page 29, we have this ridiculous Inquiry quote,

 

 

“In sum, there was nothing Mr. ——— (The Tower) could have done which would have assisted the air crew in ANY WAY in accomplishing remedial action after the initial touch down of this aircraft on Runway 32.”

 

 

And then again, on page 105 of the Inquiry,

 

 

(xxxii) “There was nothing that any personnel in the airport control tower (ATC) at Toronto International Airport did which caused this catastrophic result, nor is there anything that any of them could have done either before or after the initial touchdown of this aircraft to have avoided it.”

 

 

Nope. Wrong.

 

 

I strongly disagree with the Inquiry pandering to, and its’ excusing of air traffic control (The Tower) .

 

I can only think that somewhere in the background equation there was some sort of vested interest happening, an attempt to deflect from someone incurring a bigger portion of the liability pie? But, who knows for sure?

 

However, as soon as I read the page 29 quote, coming so early in the report, and before any real information about the crash had been relayed, alarm bells immediately went off in my head.

 

 

So, to get to the truth of the Flight 621 crash, let’s look at the 2003 Concorde crash…to learn what should be known about the 621 crash, shall we?

 

 

Like Flight 621’s DC-8, when Air France’s Flight 4590 Concorde departed the runway at Rossy-Charles de Gaulle Airport on take-off…its wing was on fire.

 

 

Watch what happens next.

 

De Gaulle Airport Air Traffic Control then warned the Air France Concorde pilot, Christian Marty, with this ominous observational statement:

 

 

“CONCORDE ZERO 4590, you have flames … STRONG FLAMES… you have flames behind you.”

 

 

Did Air France Captain Marty ignore this new input of information?

 

 

No. Captain Marty rapidly changed the course of his Concorde, aiming to immediately land at nearby Le Bourget Airport. He did not just ignore the fire and continue on to New York.

 

 

Unfortunately, we all know his Concorde also didn’t make it – the initial wound to the Concorde being far more lethal than the initial wound to Flight 621’s DC-8.

 

 

The Concorde only travelled a couple miles before crashing…while Flight 621’s DC-8 got eight miles away from the airport, with a full three minutes of flight time under its belt. Plenty of time to re-land.

 

 

The Tower should have just told Flight 621 that their DC-8 was billowing black smoke!

 

 

Why would you withhold such critical information that clearly was well beyond normal, EXPECTED, flying perimeters?! Tell the pilot what you were seeing (billowing smoke). That’s all it would have taken to save Flight 621.

 

 

The Air Canada Viscount (Flight 254) immediately following Flight 621 certainly mentioned the fire to air traffic control!

 

 

He told the tower, right away, directly!

 

 

I repeat why did “The Tower” hold back this critical information?

 

They did tell Captain Peter Hamilton he couldn’t re-land on Runway 32 because of debris on the runway!

 

The runway Peter just left. The failed to tell Peter that NEW runway debris was from his Air Canada DC-8!

 

Yes, the Tower was that remiss!

 

The Tower THEN gave Peter the option of swinging over to Runway 5. But Hamilton had no need to because he trustingly stated, “I think we’re alright." He only thought his DC-8 was alright because he didn’t know his wing was on fire! Something ATC could see quite clearly.

 

 

I talked to several DC-8 pilots who stated they could have landed the ailing Air Canada DC-8 within the seven mile, and three minute parameters. One pilot said he could have landed Flight 621’s DC-8 within a five mile flight route! All pilots believed they would have had plenty of time to save Flight 621 completely.

 

 

If ATC hadn’t been remiss, if Captain Peter Hamilton had been updated—as to the ailing status of his airplane—it was on fire—Flight 621 never would have crashed.

 

Observation of incoming/outgoing aircraft and status reporting to pilots—is the responsibility of air traffic control. That’s why controllers are high up, in a tower. A building with 360 degree windows all around its’ structure! So designed in order to see everything happening in the air and on the runways at the airport.

 

 

Had the Tower not been remiss on that ill-fated Sunday morning of July 5, 1970 and like De Gaulle Airport Air Traffic Control…had just done their duty and told the pilot his wing was on fire, this likely would have been Captain Hamilton’s response,

 

 

“Roger, understood! Pan-pan! Pan-pan! Pan-pan! All stations! All stations! All stations! Air Canada 6-2-1 swinging around immediately for an emergency landing on 05R. WING FIRE! Roll all emergency response vehicles! We will try to bring everyone in safely!”

 

 

And Air Canada Flight 621 would have landed with minimal loss, PROBABLY NOT any.

 

 

So sad—that with this accident, and so many other things in life—there are no do-overs ~

 

 

ADDENDUM

 

 

“Maybe, Peter Hamilton would have still flown the long 27 mile go-around circuit anyway, even if he knew his DC-8 wing was on fire?

 

 

No, he wouldn’t.

 

 

Peter Hamilton was WWII Halifax bomber pilot who got shot down over Germany. He bailed out from his bomber because it was on fire, and out of control. He knew how little time one had, when one’s airplane was on fire. Since one can’t “bail out” from a DC-8, the only other option is to land. And quickly. Peter would have swung around to Runway 5R which would have been the fastest way to land.

 

 

“But everyone seems to blame the pilots for the crash.”

 

 

Ignorance. And because of First Officer Don Rowland’s famous grief quotation,

 

“Sorry, oh sorry, Pete” was a sorrowful apology for extending the ground spoilers, accidentally, at 60 feet above the runway.

 

This oft quoted remark that forces one to commiserate with his plight, and that of those who perished on Flight 621 clouds the sombre fact, that actually, the crash wasn’t really his fault! Ground spoilers NEVER should have been able to have been deployed in flight! Show me a Boeing, a De Havilland Canada, or Airbus aircraft that allowed you to instantly crash a plane by deploying its ground spoilers ACCIDENTALLY, or MANUALLY while in flight. You can’t—because those other aircraft manufacturers had mastered the basics.

 

 

The DC-8 had serious design flaws, each one activated on its own could have led to a catastrophic accident. The fact that ALL of these design flaws came into play on Flight 621 and contributed to the crash, at varying degrees, can only leave one speechless.

 

 

“Maybe the Tower didn’t see what was happening to Flight 621?”

 

 

Sorry, I know the “official” Inquiry alluded to that, but I don’t buy it. When I had my Flight 621 crash site up, hosted at Apple Computer 2004/5/6 I had a retired air traffic controller residing in Australia see my site and contact me. He stated he was there in the Tower, that day. He was quietly reading the Globe and Mail when Flight 621 flew by—billowing black smoke that continued right out to the plane crash in Castlemore.

 

 

Unsure, if this guy was just finishing, just starting, or on break, but he was in the Tower and he saw the ailing DC-8.

 

Air Canada Flight 254 called the Tower to inform them, from their vantage point, due in to land right after 621 (flying 2.5 miles right behind 621) that Flight 621’s DC-8 wing was on fire.

 

You mean to suggest to me that the controller actually assigned to guide/watch Flight 621 during landing…didn’t see all this—and even more?! Get outta’ here.

 

 

“Can you give us a brief summary of the causes of the Flight 621 crash?”

 

 

Failure prone McDonnell-Douglas DC-8 spoiler deployment system. This system allowed the ground spoilers to be extended in flight manually, or even unexpectedly, from the armed position.

 

 

Erroneous McDonnell-Douglas DC-8 manuals misled airline operators about spoiler operation and inherent safety.

 

 

Air Canada in-house DC-8 manuals deviated from the manufacturer's guidelines.

 

 

Engine shear separation bolts failed to separate cleanly as per safety design which caused a right wing tear, and immediate wing fire upon engine separation.

 

 

Analog flight gauges.

 

 

Air Traffic Control failed to inform the pilots that their aircraft had caught fire after Flight 621’s failed attempt to land. Accident was entirely recoverable had pilots been informed of the status of their aircraft, immediately, on the overshoot.

 

 

Co-pilot made attempt to arm spoilers—but accidentally pulled the lever back extending the spoilers in flight. This initial action carried little weight in comparison to previously mentioned contributing and compounding factors.

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ADD A CONDOLENCE to the FLIGHT 621 FAMILIES, or a LOVED ONE from FLIGHT 621, or a MEMORY of a PERSONAL EVENT related to the crash…at the City of Brampton's permanent Flight 621 site…SEE: www.brampton.ca/EN/City-Hall/Protocol-Office/Brampton-Rem...

 

 

PRAY FOR THE REPOSE OF THE SOULS for the passengers and crew of Flight 621:

 

Adams, Celine Fradette

Adams, Pierre J

Beaudin, Gaetan

Belanger, Mrs.

Belanger, Jacques

Belanger, Jean

Belanger, Roland

Belanger, Rosanne

Benson, Helen

Benson, Leonard

Benson, Mary

Benson, Richard

Bertrand, Ginette

Boosamra, Lynn

Boulanger, Guy

Bradshaw, Dollie

Cedilot, Robert J

Chapdeleine, Jeannine

Chapdeleine, Joanne

Chapdeleine, Mario

Charent, Jean Maurice

Clarke, Devona Olivia

Cote, Francine

Daoust, Yolande

Desmarais, Brigitte

Desmarais, G

Dicaire, Alice (Marie)

Dicaire, Gilles

Dicaire, Linda

Dicaire, Luke

Dicaire, Mark

Dion, Suzanne

Dore, Jacqueline

Earle, Lewella

Earle, Linda

Filippone, Francesco

Filippone, Linda

Filippone, Marie

Gee, Bernard

Goulet, Denise M

Grenier, Madeleine

Growse, Diana Cicely

Growse, Jane

Growse, Roger

Hamilton, Karen E

Hamilton, Peter Cameron

Herrmann, Ronald Alvin

Hill, Harry Gordon

Holiday, Claude

Houston, Irene Margaret

Houston, Wesley

Jakobsen, Vagn Aage

Labonte, Gilles

Leclaire, Marie Rose

Leclaire, Oscar

Leduc, Henri W

Lepage, Claudette

Mailhiot, Claire Gagnon

Mailhiot, Gerald Bernard

Maitz, Gustave

Maitz, Karoline

McKettrick, Winnifred

McTague, John

Medizza, Carla

Mohammed, Dolly

Molino, Antonio

Molino, Michael (Michel)

Moore, Frederick T

Partridge, Andrea

Partridge, Carnie (Carnis) Ann

Partridge, Cyril Wayne

Phillips, Kenneth William

Poirier, Rita

Raymond, Gilles

Raymond, Martial

Robert, Aline

Robert, Georges E

Robidoux, Lionel

Rowland, Donald

Silverberg, Marci

Silverberg, Merle

Silverberg, Steven

Simon, Istvan

Simon, Mark

Smith, Dwight Lee

St. Laurent, Blanche

Stepping, Glenn Thomas

Sultan, Celia

Sultan, Jerald. M

Sultan, Robert. L

Szpakowicz, Borys

Szpakowicz, Serge

Tielens, Carmen

Tielens, Frederick

Tournovits, George

Tournovits, Soula (Athanasia)

Weinberg, Carla

Weinberg, Rita

Weinberg, Wendy

Whittingham, Jennifer

Whittingham, John

Whittingham, Reginald

Whybro, Mary Baker

Wieczorek, Hildegund

Witmer, Edgar

Wong, Ngar-Quon

Wong, Suzie

Wong, Wong (Mansing)

Woodward, Dallas J

 

 

©2020-LPR CARDIN II - Special Projects In Research

 

 

* The former Wilbur Duncan property became part of the Flight 621 crash arena…when part of the Air Canada's DC-8's wing separated from the aircraft…and crashed into the house and backyard of the Duncan residence.

 

Sadly, on August 11, 2020, a 72 year-old man drowned in Castlemore (Brampton) in the backyard pond at the former Duncan residence, just a few feet away from the resting spot of the shorn DC-8 wing.

 

In the CP24 aerial video, the spot where the Air Canada DC-8 wing came to rest can be seen, and was the grassy area between the pond and the larger part of the house.

 

SEE:www.cp24.com/news/man-dead-following-reported-drowning-at...

 

Done