Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-11-30
Canada Plane Crash
Kills AII118 Aboard
Toll Second
in
AirHistorY
STE. THERESE DE BLArN-

Sic. IhEhESE DE BLAlN=
WILLIE. Quebec. Nov. 80 APP
Workers toiled in clinging mud
over a quarter-mile area today
to recover the bodies Of 11s
persons killed in Canada's worst
aviation disaster, the crash OF
a Trans-Canada Airlines DC-e
jet.
The big United States built
plane, in service only 10 months.
caught fire and plunged to earth
last night just 4 minutes after
taking off In heavy rain and
high wind from Montreal's
Dorval Airport for q 300-mile
flight to Toronto.
There were no survivors.
1t was the worlds second
worst single plane tragedy.
Witnesses said the plane ex-
ploded. but disagreed as to
whether the blast came while
1t was still airborne or after It
plowed into the ground outside
Ste. Therese de Blainville, q
factory town 20 miles north
Of Montreal.
Digs Huge Crater
The plane Dug a crater 30
feet wide and 6 feet deep. The
rain quickly filled the huge
hole with water.
Two Of the victims had
American connections. They
were Ronald Kerne, about 28.
a fur buyer from Brooklyn,
N. Y, and Mrs. Sari Hankov-
Sky. 40. Hungarian born part
owner Of a Toronto dress fac
tory and wife Of q New York
chef.
Mrs. Hankovszky's husband,
zoltan, works as a chef on q
Sands Point. Long Island, es-
tate. They have a son Zoltan
ir., a student at Denver Uni
versity.
Brooklyn neighbors Of Mr..
Kerne said his wife Renee and
their only child. Jeffrey, Z.
were spending the Thanksgiv-
ing holidays with relatives IN
Washington.
No Question Of Sabotage
After Viewing the wreckaee.
} airline officials expressed doubt
about determining the cause
Of the crash by the usual piece
by-piece reconstruction Of the
plane. The government I'M
mediately ordered an investi-
CATION.
A Trans-Canada spokesman
said there was no question of
sabotage.
Prime Minister Lester D.
Pearson expressed shock and
, dismay at the loss Of life.
The plane crashed at $3.50
| pm, EST. witnesses heard a
! terrific noise-"like an atomic
! bomb" some said-and saw q
, red bali Of fire. The wreckage
burned for two hours.
The eight-member crew in
, cluded Capt. Jack d. Snider.
AZ; First Officer Harry j. Dyck.
] IS, and Second Officer Edward
B. Baxter, 20. all of Toronto.
Narrowly Missed Houses
The plane hit the ground
800 # from a row Of houses
: along Highway IL, crashing
midway between the road and
. an expressway to the Lauren
! tan Mountains, a resort area
north Of Montreal.
I One of the first persons to
reach the wreckage was a local
constable. Noel Aubertin, who
had just stopped his car to talk
to a boy and girl.
81 heard this immense ex-
plosion." he said. 1T sounded
, like an atomic bomb. I
thought it was the end Of the
, world. My car radio went out
Of commission and my first
J reaction was to Jump on the
two children and shield them.
II don't remember seeing the
, plane at all. I Just heard the
! loud crash. / ran to the scene
and all I could see was a mass
of fire. -
II knew there we're no sur
vivors. :"
At first much of the planes
mud-splattered fuselage ap-
peared intact, but it was
quickly consumed in fire. Iden-
tification of the plane remained
uncertain until a rescuer found
Ia life jacket with the airline's
monogram on it.
Trans-Canada Air Lines re-
ceived delivery Of the plane
from Douglas Aircraft Corp.
last February. 1t was designed
to carry 1877 passengers and a
crew of seven.
The worst single civilian
plane crash occurred in Paris
in June, 1862, when an Air
France jet went down, killing
$50 persons III Of them
Americans.