4 fatalities

Disappearance of Twin-Engine Aircraft During Search Mission (W1754)

Northumberland Strait, CanadaFlight

On April 8, 1943, an Avro 652 Anson (registration W1754) operated by Royal Air Force - RAF was involved in an aviation accident near Northumberland Strait, Canada in flight. 4 people were killed. 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 twin-engine aircraft vanished during a daytime search operation over the Northumberland Strait, resulting in the loss of all four crew members without trace.

What happened

The incident involved a twin-engine airplane operating out of Charlottetown. The aircraft departed on a daytime mission to search for a Hudson bomber that had originated from RCAF Debert. This operation was conducted on behalf of the 31 General Reconnaissance School, which was based in Charlottetown.

After taking off, the plane failed to return to its base. Subsequent investigations indicate that the aircraft crashed into the Northumberland Strait, a body of water located between Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Island. The wreckage was never recovered, and the event is classified as lost without trace.

The flight crew consisted of four individuals: the pilot, two navigators, and a wireless operator. All personnel on board were killed in the incident.