De Havilland BC DHBC-4 Skylark

The De Havilland BC DHBC-4 Skylark is a four-engined piston-engined passenger airliner for fifty passengers built by De Havilland British Columbia; many were subsequently converted to freighters and firefighting waterbombers.

Although broadly based on the British-designed DHBC-3 Heron, it was the first aircraft to be designed from the ground up by DHBC and is thus regarded as British Columbia's first domestically designed commercial airliner. Essentially obsolete when introduced, it is also widely regarded as "Piston's Last Stand" - the last large airliner to be built in significant number to be powered by reciprocating engines.

DHBC-4(F) freighter

 * Aer Turas Teoranta: 2, converted in 1979
 * Air RZ: 4, converted in 1973
 * Columbia Air Cargo: 11, converted 1970–1979, 1981
 * FRIMO Frigoríficos Movima: 1, converted in 1973; refrigerated
 * Iran Air: 10, converted 1980–1981
 * Italcargo: 3, converted 1976
 * Kootenay Airways: 2, converted 1972
 * Sudan Airways: 3, converted 1975
 * VASP: 6, converted 1969–1970
 * West Africa Air Cargo: 4, converted 1977

DHBC-4(FF) Firelark waterbomber
Between 1969 and 1980 Conair Aviation, based at Abbotsford International Airport, converted eighteen Skylarks into waterbombers for fighting wildfires by removing passenger facilities and installing a tank for fire retardant in its place. Named Firelarks, the last were retired in 2006.

Operational history
See also: DHBC-4 Skylark operators

Operators
Operators who took delivery of aircraft new from the factory are marked with a star (★).

Current

 * British Columbia
 * North Cariboo Air: 6

Former

 * Bolivia
 * FRIMO Frigoríficos Movima: 1
 * Fuerza Aérea Boliviana: 2
 * La Cumbre: 2
 * ★ Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano: 5


 * Brazil
 * ★ Cruzeiro do Sul: 6
 * ★ Loide Aéreo Nacional: 7
 * VASP: 7


 * British Columbia
 * ★ Air B.C.: 13
 * Alberni Airways: 2
 * Atlin Airways: 2
 * Columbia Air Cargo: 13
 * Conair Aviation: 18
 * Evergreen International Airlines: 11
 * ★ Hawkair: 5
 * ★ Inter-Dominion Air Lines: 9
 * ★ Island International Airways: 2
 * ★ Kootenay Airways: 3
 * Northern Thunderbird Air: 1
 * ★ Pacific Western Airlines: 9
 * ★ Thunderbird Airways: 4


 * Congo
 * Lina Congo: 2


 * Ethiopia
 * ★ Ethiopian Airlines: 5


 * Ghana
 * ★ Ghana Airways: 4
 * West Africa Air Cargo: 4


 * Iceland
 * Icelandair: 2
 * ★ Loftleiðir: 2


 * Indonesia
 * Mandala Airlines: 3
 * Seulawah Air Services: 3


 * Iran
 * ★ Iran Air: 10
 * ★ Iranian Airways: 3


 * Ireland
 * Aer Turas Teoranta: 2


 * Italy
 * ★ Alisarda: 3
 * Italcargo: 3


 * Nicaragua
 * Aeronica: 4
 * ★ LANICA: 4


 * Nigeria
 * Pan African Airlines: 3


 * Rhodesia
 * Air Rhodesia: 4


 * Rhodesia & Nyasaland
 * ★ Central African Airways: 4


 * Rhodesia-Zimbabwe
 * Air RZ: 4


 * South Vietnam
 * ★ Air Vietnam: 5


 * South Yemen
 * Alyemda: 5


 * Sudan
 * ★ Sudan Airways: 3


 * Tanzania
 * Tanzanair: 2


 * United States
 * ★ Frontier Airlines: 5
 * Golden Pacific Airlines: 2
 * ★ Yankee Airlines: 2


 * Venezuela
 * ★ LAV Línea Aeropostal Venezolana: 3


 * Vietnam
 * Vietnam Airlines: 6


 * Zambia
 * Jointair: 2

Preserved

 * C454/1957 (Skylark), as VB-SBB in Air B.C. livery, at the BC Aviation Museum
 * C493/1958 (Skylark), as PP-LFB in Loide Aéreo Nacional livery, at Congonhas Airport, São Paulo, Brazil
 * C528/1958 (Firelark), as VB-FDC in Conair Aviation livery, at Conair's facilities at Abbotsford International Airport

Accidents & incidents

 * 15 March 1963 Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano Skylark CP-3003 (c/n C532/1958), operating as Flight LAB915 from Arica, Chile to La Paz, Bolivia, flew into the side of Chachacomani Peak. The aircraft had been flying at a lower altitude than planned due to marginal weather conditions. There were no survivors amongst the 36 passengers and 3 crew aboard.


 * 22 January 1963 Cruzeiro do Sul Skylark PP-VFF (c/n C629/1961) ground-looped on landing in extremely heavy rain at Parnaíba, Brazil, veered off the runway, and the right main gear was shorn off. All six passengers and three crew escaped, but the aircraft was written off.


 * 3 May 1963 Cruzeiro do Sul Skylark PP-VFE (c/n C628/1961), operating a scheduled flight from São Paulo, Brazil to Rio de Janeiro, was forced to return to the airport when the no. 2 engine caught fire. The pilot feathered the propeller and made a left turn, but whilst on finals for Runway 16, the aircraft pitched up to a 45° nose-up attitude, stalled, and crashed into a house on Avenida Piassang. There were 37 fatalities out of the total 45 passengers and 5 crew aboard. Investigators concluded that the likely cause was pilot error in improperly feathering the propeller.


 * 6 November 1968 VASP Skylark PP-LFE (c/n C588/1960) was written off after suffering extensive damage from a belly landing resulting from the crew forgetting to lower the undercarriage. The 3 crew and 28 passengers escaped with minor injuries.


 * 26 September 1969 Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano Skylark CP-3001 (c/n 470/1957), operating a scheduled flight from Santa Cruz, Bolivia to La Paz, flew into the side of Mount Choquetange near Viloco at FL155. All 5 crew and 49 passengers aboard were killed, amongst whom were all but two of the squad of top Bolivian football club The Strongest. The wreckage was found three days later.


 * 1 March 1970 Air BC Skylark VB-SBK (c/n C642/1961), operating as Air BC Flight BC 106 from Victoria to Vancouver, collided with a privately owned ERCO 415 Ercoupe (VB-RHN) on final approach. Whilst nearing their destination in clear weather in a VFR descent of 500 feet per minute at 180 knots, the pilots were informed by arrival control that there was an aircraft at 12 o'clock at one mile, moving from left to right. They looked intently but were unable to see the aircraft; radar then reported that the target had disappeared and directed a frequency change to tower. The pilots of the Skylark resumed their pre-landing cockpit duties and a few seconds later they felt a jar as the Skylark collided with the Ercoupe at approximately 1,500 feet asl. Witnesses to the collision saw a small white aircraft spiralling to the ground; the pilot was killed. The collision caused a fire in one engine but the aircraft landed safely with only a few minor injuries amongst the 29 passengers and four crew. Inspection revealed damage to the wing from the collision, and the aircraft was written off.


 * 12 March 1970 Ethiopian Airlines Skylark ET-DHW (c/n C694/1962), operating a ferry flight from Addis Abeba, Ethiopia to Asmara, overran the runway on landing, resulting in nose- and both main gears to be torn off after the reversers failed to operate. The aircraft then caught fire and burnt out. The three crew and one passenger all escaped safely, but the pilot was demoted and lost two years of seniority.


 * 25 January 1971 LAV Línea Aeropostal Venezolana Skylark YV-C-AMC (c/n C639/1961), operating as Flight LAV359 from Mérida, Venezuela to Caracas, impacted trees on a mountainside seven minutes after take-off and crash-landed. There were 13 fatalities amongst the 43 passengers and 4 crew aboard.


 * 14 August 1974 LAV Línea Aeropostal Venezolana Skylark YV-C-AMD (c/n C682/1962), operating a scheduled flight from Cumaná, Venezuela to Porlamar, struck the mountain of Cerro Piache 26 feet below the summit; tropical storm Alma was passing by Trinidad at the time, 60 miles to the east. Of the 44 passengers and 4 crew only the co-pilot survived the crash, but succumbed to his injuries 17 days later.


 * 7 January 1975 FRIMO Frigoríficos Movima Skylark CP-961 (c/n C664/1962), operating a scheduled cargo flight from San Borja, Bolivia to La Paz, suffered a fuel leak in the no. 2 engine about 30 minutes after take-off. The crew decided to return to San Borja, but because the aircraft was losing altitude quickly, and the radio aid at San Borja was non-functional, an emergency landing was made as soon as the ground became visible. All seven people aboard escaped, but the aircraft was destroyed.


 * 10 June 1978 West Africa Air Cargo Skylark 9G-AAC (c/n C660/1961), operating a charter cargo flight from Accra, Ghana to Monrovia, Liberia, was written off after the undercarriage collapsed on landing. There were no fatalities amongst the four crewmembers aboard.


 * 12 October 1999 Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano Skylark CP-3000 (c/n C469/1957) was destroyed on the ground at La Paz, Bolivia. After some maintenance work had been finished, a mechanic and a flight engineer attempted to start the engines, and suddenly a fire broke out in no. 2 engine. Both crewmembers fled the scene without following emergency procedures and the fire spread, destroying part of the fuselage.


 * 16 July 2003 Conair Aviation Skylark FF VB-FDH (c/n C704/1962) was destroyed whilst fighting a fire near Cranbrook after striking a ridge about 3,900 feet ASL.