De Havilland BC DHBC-1 Dove

The De Havilland BC DHBC-1 Dove is an eleven-passenger piston-engined airliner built by De Havilland British Columbia between 1947 and 1954 based on the DH.104 Dove type of DHBC's parent company, De Havilland Aircraft of the United Kingdom.

Design & development
The only significant difference between the BC and UK-built versions of the Dove was the use of Hoffar Aero Engines' HIV-12A Harrier 12-cylinder air-cooled inverted-V engine producing 475 hp, giving the BC Dove a major power boost over the UK built versions, including the Dove 7 fitted with 400 hp engines.

Operational history
See also: DHBC-1 Dove operators

The original DH.104 Dove first flew on 25 September 1945, entering service in December 1946 with Central African Airways. DHBC was set up to produce the type during 1946, with the design being modified to use locally produced engines. Designated DHBC-1 Dove, the first was delivered to Associated Airways of Alberta, Canada. A total of 73 were built between 1947 and 1954, being delivered to airlines in BC, Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, and the United States. Most remained in regular service until the late 1970s and early 1980s, with a handful continuing into the late 1990s. Two bought by Orca Airways in 1988 remained in service into the 21st century; one of these was retired in 2021, the other continues as the last DHBC Dove in commercial service.

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

Current

 * British Columbia
 * Orca Airways: 1 (+1 retired)

Former

 * British Columbia
 * ★ Air British Columbia: 12
 * Alberni Airways: 2
 * ★ BC Ambulance Service: 1
 * ★ BC Government Air Service: 1
 * ★ Canadian Pacific Air Lines: 4 (+3 registered in Canada)
 * ★ Central BC Airways: 7
 * Haida Air: 4
 * ★ Inter-Dominion Air Lines: 2
 * ★ Island International Airways: 2
 * ★ Kamloops Air Service: 2
 * ★ Kootenay Airways: 3
 * ★ North Cariboo Air: 3
 * Northern Air: 6
 * Northern Thunderbird Air: 6
 * ★ Pacific Coastal Airlines: 4
 * Pacific Western Airlines: 14
 * ★ Port Alberni Airways: 2
 * ★ Skeena Air Transport: 2


 * Canada
 * ★ Associated Airways: 2
 * ★ Canadian Pacific Air Lines: 3 (+4 registered in BC)
 * Eastern Provincial Airways: 2
 * ★ Maritime Central Airways: 2
 * Slave Lake Aviation: 1


 * Cuba
 * Aero Caribbean: 9
 * ★ Cubana de Aviación: 9


 * Dominican Republic
 * ★ Dominicana de Aviación: 5


 * El Salvador
 * ★ TACA: 4


 * Mexico
 * ATRASA Aero Transportes: 4


 * United States
 * Ransome Airlines: 8
 * ★ San Juan Airlines: 3

Accidents & incidents

 * 17 March 1957: TACA Dove YS-TGA (c/n C329/1954), operating a flight from San José, Costa Rica to Medellín, Colombia, crashed into the mountainside at Cerro del Padre Amaya. The five passengers and three crew were all killed.


 * 24 June 1957: Associated Airways Dove CF-SCA (c/n C212/1947), making positioning flight to Cape Perry, Northwest Territories, Canada for a charter flight, ran off the runway on landing due to brake failure. Neither crewmember was seriously injured, but the aircraft was written off.


 * 3 May 1959: TACA Dove YS-TGB (c/n C330/1954), operating a flight from Nicoya, Costa Rica to San José, Costa Rica, caught fire shortly after take-off and crashed three miles from the airport. The nine passengers and two crew aboard were all killed.


 * 29 September 1961: Pacific Western Dove VB-CBO (c/n C234/1948), operating as Flight PW397 from Bella Coola to Comox, made an emergency landing at Port Hardy Airport due to a fire in the cabin. All eleven people aboard escaped, but the aircraft burnt out and was written off.


 * 23 June 1969: Dominicana Dove HI-88 (c/n C226/1947), operating as Flight DOA401 from Miami, Florida, USA to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, crashed just after take-off. Immediately after the aircraft passed over the end of the runway after lifting off, thick white smoke began to emit from the No. 2 engine along with puffs of black smoke from the No. 1 engine. Declaring an emergency, the crew opted to return to the airport, and after reaching an altitude of 300 feet a left turn towards Runway 27 was made, but the aircraft then lost height and crashed into a building a mile short of the runway. Investigators determined that the crew's confusion whilst attempting to deal with the catastrophic engine failure led to the crash. The two crew and eight passengers, as well as six people on the ground, were killed.