No fatalities

Maritime patrol aircraft ditched off Prince Edward Island after engine failure (AX348)

East Point, CanadaFlight

On April 16, 1943, an Avro 652 Anson (registration AX348) operated by Royal Canadian Air Force - RCAF was involved in an aviation accident near East Point, Canada in flight. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Failure of the left engine in flight. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-08-05Data APIEditorial standards

A maritime patrol aircraft ditched in the sea near East Point, PEI, following a port engine failure during a flight from Charlottetown. All four crew members survived and were rescued the next day.

What happened

The crew departed Charlottetown Airport on a scheduled maritime patrol mission. While en route, the aircraft experienced a mechanical issue when the port engine failed. The pilot attempted to maintain a safe altitude but was unable to do so due to the loss of power. Consequently, the pilot executed a ditching maneuver approximately 32 kilometers northeast of East Point in Prince Edward Island.

All four crew members abandoned the sinking aircraft and took refuge in a dinghy. They were rescued by emergency services the following day. The aircraft was lost after sinking beneath the waves.

Findings

The official investigation identified the failure of the left engine in flight as the primary cause of the incident.

Probable cause

Failure of the left engine in flight.