Pacific Western Airlines

Pacific Western Airlines is a commercial airline in British Columbia offering scheduled domestic and continental services.

Pacific Western serves fifty destinations - twenty-three in BC, twenty-six in Canada, and one in the United States.

It is a Crown corporation owned jointly by the government of BC and the provincial government of Alberta, Canada. Inside Canada, it is the most important airline in the western provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and in Canada's North - the Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories.

History
Pacific Western Air Lines was established in 1952 when the BC government, which had taken control of several small but regionally important airlines during the Second World War, merged Central British Columbia Airways, Kamloops Air Service, Northern Air Lines, Queen Charlotte Airways, and Skeena Air Transport into a single company. In 1955, it absorbed Port Alberni Airways, and in 1959, the BC Dominion government and the Alberta provincial government decided to merge their Crown-held air transport companies; Pacific Western absorbed Alberta's Associated Airways and the Alberta Government Air Service, and Alberta took a 50% share of PWAL. In 1979, Pacific Western acquired Transair Canada.

Incidents



 * 17 September 1955: Bristol 170 Freighter Mk 31 VB-GBT (c/n 12831/1950), operating a charter cargo flight from Dawson Creek to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada, crashed in a farm field. The aircraft took off from Dawson Creek at 00:21 for an IFR flight to Yellowknife; around 00:43 they radioed that they were returning to Dawson Creek at an altitude of 3,000 feet due to the failure of the No. 2 engine. Because the aircraft was overloaded, it could not maintain altitude on one engine. Of the two crew and four passengers aboard, the pilot and one passenger were killed.


 * 30 May 1956: Bristol 170 Freighter Mk 31 VB-TFZ (c/n 13139/1953), operating a charter cargo flight from Dawson Creek to Beaverlodge Lake, NWT, was destroyed on landing when the left landing gear broke through the ice of the lake, causing the aircraft to fall on to the left wing. The three crew aboard escaped safely and the cargo was retrieved, but the aircraft was written off; the wreckage remains in place to this day, and the possibility of retrieving it for preservation is being explored.


 * 24 June 1957: Avro 685 York C.1 VB-HFP (c/n MW233/1946), operating a charter cargo flight from Dawson Creek to Cape Parry, NWT, overshot the runway on landing and was written off. The two crew escaped safely and the cargo was retrieved; the wreckage remains in place to this day


 * 29 January 1960: Curtiss C-46F-1-CU CF-PWD (c/n 02940/1945), operating as Flight PW 104 from Lethbridge, Alberta to Blaenau, was destroyed on landing. Shortly after departure, problems with the No. 2 engine forced the crew to return to Calgary; the engine was shut down and the propeller feathered. The C-46 landed on Runway 13 at a higher than normal speed due to having made a steep approach to avoid a fog bank, and overran the end due to reduced braking action on the snowy runway. The aircraft was written off, but the three crew and thirty-eight passengers escaped without injury. The cause of the engine failure was found to have been a fatigue fracture in the reduction drive ring gear.


 * 29 September 1961: DHBC-1 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.


 * 16 July 1969: Lockheed L-100-20 Hercules CF-PWO (c/n 4197/1966), operating a positioning flight from Lima, Peru to Caucaya for a cargo charter to Vancouver, was destroyed on landing. Landing in a low, heavy mist, the starboard wing struck the ground and broke off, causing the aircraft to veer off the runway. The four crew aboard survived, but the aircraft was destroyed. Pilot error in deciding to land in adverse weather, combined with the lack of specialised ATC personnel at the airport, was deemed to be the cause.


 * 17 September 1969: Convair CV-640 VB-PWZ (c/n 440/1957), operating as Flight PW 627 from Vancouver to Campbell River, crashed into a hill and was destroyed. The CV-640 approached Campbell River with weather conditions just above minima (2 to 2.5 miles visibility, 400 feet broken ceiling, wind 110 degrees gusting to 20 mph). The crew positioned the aircraft visually 2 nmi south of the airfield on a westerly heading preparatory to attempting an approach to the west, involving a right hand circuit flown above the broken south and west of the airport employing DME and ADF information. This improvised approach was not in accordance with published approach procedures under instrument conditions. After flying for 1 minute and 40 seconds the crew turned right. A few seconds after the captain expressed concern, the Convair struck a 1047 feet hill at 932 feet. Two of the four crew and two of the eleven passengers were killed.


 * 28 December 1970: DHBC-2B Heron 3B VB-PWI (c/n C336/1954), operating a positioning flight from Vancouver to Williams Lake, was damaged in a forced landing. Whilst cruising at 13,000 feet the Heron's starboard engine flamed out and the aircraft began to return to Vancouver. At 3,000 feet three miles from the airport the port engine flamed out as well, and the crew carried out a forced landing in a field. The cause was found to be a malfunction in an electrical relay relating to the timer of the engine anti-icing equipment. None of the four crew aboard were injured, and the aircraft was repaired and returned to service.


 * 2 January 1973: Boeing 707-351C CF-PWZ (c/n 18826/1964), operating a charter cargo flight from Toronto, Ontario to Edmonton, Alberta, crashed short of the runway on landing. At 08:29 the flight was cleared for a straight in back-course ILS approach to runway 29. The first officer, who had just been promoted to Boeing 707 operations, was to perform the approach in blowing snow conditions. This approach was the first one after a 6-week holiday, so he lacked recent Boeing 707 experience. With the added factors of fatigue, turbulent air, and a heavily loaded aircraft the situation would have become extremely difficult. At some point late in the approach the captain took over control of the aircraft and tried to arrest the sink rate. The plane contacted poplar trees two miles short of the runway. It struck the ground in a glancing blow, and the tail fin struck powerlines. The aircraft finally struck a large ridge in the middle of a gravel pit. The cockpit section and a forward portion of the fuselage broke away and 86 cattle, the cargo on board, shot forward through the open front section of the fuselage and were thrown a distance of up to 300 feet, and fire erupted. All five crew aboard were killed.


 * 4 January 1973: DHBC-4 Skylark VB-PUD (c/n C564/1959), operating as Flight PW 130 from Vancouver to Penticton, was hijacked prior to takeoff. The hijacker demanded £1 million and to be flown to North Vietnam. The aircraft returned to its pad and an RBCC officer boarded under the guise of delivering the money arrested him; he was found to be carrying two toy guns.


 * 26 November 1976: Lockheed L-100-20 Hercules C-FPWX (c/n 4361/1969), operating a charter cargo flight carrying power plant machinery from Oostende, Belgium to Lubumbashi, Zaire. The crew was attempting to land the aircraft in a clearing near Kisangani for unknown reasons when the right wing struck a 100-foot-tall tree. Part of the wing was shorn off, and the aircraft struck other trees before finally colliding with a large termite mound. Of the five crew and one passenger aboard, only one crewmember survived.


 * 11 February 1978: DHBC-7 Trident 7A VB-PVF (c/n C1047/1969), operating as flight PW 314 from Edmonton, Alberta to Castlegar, BC, via Calgary, Alberta and Cranbrook, BC crashed at Cranbrook after a failed touch-and-go attempt. At 12:38 PM, Calgary ATC reported to Cranbrook Aeradio that Flight 314 was underway with an ETA of 13:05; this information was passed on to the driver of a radio-equipped snow removal vehicle sweeping the runway at the time. At 12:46, descending out of FL180, Flight 314 contacted Cranbrook, and were advised about the snow removal in progress; Cranbrook Aeradio received no further transmissions from the airplane. The aircraft passed the SKOOKUM beacon without contacting it, inbound on a straight-in instrument approach, and flew the ILS for runway 16 to touchdown. The aircraft had touched down at 12:55 about 800 feet from the threshold and reverse thrust was selected when the crew noticed the snow plough on the runway. The captain initiated a go-around at once, but one of the thrust reversers failed to re-stow due to loss of hydraulic power. The aircraft became airborne and successfully cleared the snow plough, but unexpectedly the left thrust reverser deployed in flight as it climbed to about 350 feet. As a result of this the crew lost control of the aircraft, which suddenly banked steeply to the left, lost height, and side-slipped into the ground. The aircraft broke up and caught fire. The deep snow made it difficult for fire crews to reach the wreckage, and 42 of the 44 passengers and 5 crew were killed.


 * 21 November 1980: DHBC-7 Trident 7A VB-PVA (c/n C909/1968), operating as Flight PW 461 from Seattle, Washington, to Calgary, Alberta, touched down thirteen feet short of the runway; the captain had reduced thrust prematurely and had been approaching on a too-shallow approach slope. The right main landing gear was immediately severed, the aircraft sliding along the runway and veering off it, coming to a stop 1,700 feet from the touchdown point, and severe fire started along the right side of the aircraft as it came to rest. All 67 passengers and six crewmembers evacuated within a minute of the aircraft coming to rest; there were no fatalities.


 * 22 March 1984: DHBC-7 Trident 7C VB-PZG (c/n C1360/1974), operating as Flight PW 501 from Calgary, Alberta to Edmonton, Alberta, was destroyed by fire after a rejected take-off.


 * 14 July 1996: DHBC-9A Kehloke 1 VB-PKD (c/n C1947/1986), operating as Flight PW 117 from Calgary to Vancouver with a stop in Kelowna, overshot the runway on landing at Kelowna in extremely rainy and gusty conditions. The aircraft suffered significant damage but was repaired and returned to service; all five crew and seventy-six passengers escaped safely.

Fleet
Pacific Western operate a total of 171 aircraft.

Current

 * Airbus A220-300 - 0 +33 to be delivered 2023–2027
 * Airbus A318 - 28 (2014 to date), delivered new
 * Airbus A321 - 10 (2008 to date), delivered new
 * Airbus A321neo - 12 (2018 to date), delivered new
 * Bombardier CRJ-702 - 26 (2011 to date), delivered new
 * Bombardier Q300 - 31 (2012 to date), delivered new
 * Canadair CRJ-200 - 22 (1996 to date), delivered new
 * DHBC-5F Swan - 4 (1970 to date), delivered new; cargo
 * McDonnell Douglas MD-88 - 18 (1995 to date), delivered new
 * McDonnell Douglas MD-90 - 12 (1998 to date), delivered new
 * Tupolev Tu-204SM - 8 (2012 to date), delivered new

Historic

 * Avro York - 1 (1953–1957), acquired second-hand
 * Boeing 707-100B - 2 (1967–1978), acquired second-hand
 * Boeing 707-300C - 2 (1972–1979), acquired second-hand
 * Boeing 767-200 - 5 (1983–2015), delivered new
 * Bristol Freighter - 2 (1953–1956), delivered new
 * Convair CV-640 - 6 (1967–1984), 3 delivered new (2 sold to North Cariboo Air), 3 acquired second-hand
 * Curtiss C-46 - 5 (1955–1976), acquired second-hand
 * DHBC DH.84 Dragon 2B - 4 (1952–1962), inherited from Port Alberni Airways (3) and Skeena Air Transport (1)
 * DHBC DH.86C Express - 2 (1952–1953), inherited from Northern Air Lines and Skeena Air Transport
 * DHBC DH.89C Dragon Rapide - 10 (1952–1954), inherited from Central BC Airways (2), Northern Air Lines (4), and QCA (4)
 * DHBC DH.90B Dragonfly - 4 (1952–1961), inherited from Skeena Air Transport (3) and Port Alberni Airways (1)
 * DHBC DH.95B Flamingo - 1 (1952–1964), inherited from Northern Air Lines
 * DHBC-1 Dove - 15 (1952–1979), inherited from Associated Airways (2), Central BC Airways (7), Kamloops Air Service (2), Skeena Air Transport (2), and Port Alberni Airways (2)
 * DHBC-2A Heron 3 - 8 (1952–1976), four delivered new, four acquired second-hand from Inter-Dominion (2) and Trans-Canada Air Lines (2)
 * DHBC-2B Heron 3B - 14 (1952–1983), delivered new
 * DHBC-4 Skylark - 9 (1958–1974), delivered new
 * DHBC-5 Swan - 13 (1963–1990), eight delivered new, five acquired second-hand from Holiday Airlines (1) and Inter-Dominion (4)
 * DHBC-5C Swan - 8 (1981–1996), converted to Combi in 1981-1983
 * DHBC-5F Swan - 2 (1970–2019), delivered new
 * DHBC-6 Twin Otter - 7 (1968–1997), delivered new
 * DHBC-7A Trident 7A - 12 (1968–1999), delivered new
 * DHBC-7B Trident 7B - 10 (1969–2012), delivered new
 * DHBC-7C Trident 7C - 15 (1971–2005), delivered new
 * DHBC-7D Trident 7D - 24 (1972–2014), delivered new
 * DHBC-7F Skookum Trident - 33 (1979–2020), delivered new
 * DHBC-9A Kehloke 1 - 24 (1985–2019), delivered new
 * DHC-3 Otter - 3 (1959–1992), inherited from Associated Airways (1) and Alberta Government (2)
 * DHC-7 Dash 7 - 27 (1978–2014), delivered new
 * Douglas DC-4A - 1 (1957–1961), acquired second-hand
 * Douglas DC-6 - 7 (1957–1973), one delivered new, six acquired second-hand
 * Douglas DC-7 - 1 (1964–1965), acquired second-hand
 * Douglas DC-7C - 1 (1964–1969), acquired second-hand
 * Lockheed L-100 Hercules - 6 (1969–1984), four delivered new, two acquired second-hand
 * NAMC YS-11 - 2 (1979–1980), inherited from Transair Canada
 * Supermarine BC Stranraer - 3 (1955–1960), inherited from Port Alberni Airways

BC-made aircraft
''Note: a green background indicates an aircraft in service, a yellow background indicates a retired aircraft, and a pink background indicates an aircraft lost in an accident.

Routes
Entries with a green background indicates a destination in British Columbia. "Domestic" refers to services entirely within Canada or entirely within BC; "Continental" refers to services between NAFTA signatories (BC, Mexico, Canada, and the United States).

= Gallery =