What happened
The incident involved a seaplane operated by the 121st Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force. The aircraft departed Dartmouth on a scheduled communication mission destined for Torbay, located north of St John in Newfoundland. During the journey, the crew made an intermediate stopover in Sydney before proceeding to the final destination.
While en route from Sydney to Torbay, the aircraft crashed into Trinity Bay off the coast of Port Rexton under circumstances that were not immediately determined. Local fishermen discovered the wreckage floating upside down a few hundred yards offshore. All five members of the crew perished in the accident. The flight team consisted of the pilot and four other officers from the 121st Squadron.
Findings
Official investigations highlighted specific operational failures contributing to the disaster. The aircraft had taken off from Dartmouth one hour behind schedule. After arriving at Sydney, the pilot elected to continue the flight toward Torbay despite knowing that the remainder of the trip would extend into nightfall.
A critical factor was the pilot's lack of certification for night operations on this specific airfield and aircraft type. The official findings concluded that the pilot acted negligently by departing Sydney on a flight plan that necessitated flying at night, a condition for which he was not qualified in that particular airplane.