Passengers of a Douglas DC-3 belonging to Yellowknife, Canada-based Buffalo Airways got a wild ride after one of the two big radial engines caught fire shortly after takeoff from the Yellowknife Airport, Canadian news network CBC reported. The pilot of the heavy taildragger circled back to the airport, but didn’t quite make it to the runway, landing in a ditch with the landing gear still retracted.
None of the 21 passengers nor any of the three crewmembers aboard the airplane was hurt. The Canadian Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.
The DC-3 was on its way to Hay River, a journey of about 100 nm over water and rugged, mostly uninhabited terrain. Buffalo Airways has provided flight services such as passenger and cargo transport and firefighting in the North West Territories since 1970 and flies a diverse fleet of legendary airplanes including DC-3s, DC-4s Lockheed Electras, a Curtiss C-46 and more.
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