BoxTop 22

The SAR Take

The following is a 1st hand account from the Pilot of the boldest and most massive air disaster rescue mission ever undertaken by the Canadian military in the High Arctic. Edge of your seat story, and incredibly emotional.
Every year, in the cold and darkness of late October, personnel at Canadian Forces Station Alert on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, gather at a cairn near the runway to remember the crew and passengers of Hercules 130322 who lost their lives during a resupply mission to the station. On October 30, 1991, at approximately 4:40 p.m., flight 22 of Operation Boxtop – as the biannual resupply mission is called – was on its final approach to the station from Thule Air Force Base in Greenland. As the CC-130 Hercules from 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron, loaded with 3,400 litres of diesel fuel, began its descent, the pilot flying lost sight of the runway. Moments later, radar contact and communication were lost as the aircraft crashed approximately 16 km south of the station. The crew of another CC-130 Hercules, also bound for Alert, saw the fires of the crash and identified the location of Boxtop 22. The crash took the lives of five Canadian Armed Forces members – four died in the crash and one perished before help arrived.
Don't forget about our training programs! Available by donation
Email us if you'd like a copy; 6 weeks, 5 workouts/week to get you a better score! Thank you for your continued support. [e-mail]
DISCLAIMER!!!
This podcast was prepared or accomplished by Dylan Weller and Jonathan Kovacs in their personal capacity. Any views or opinions expressed or represented in this podcast are personal and belong solely to the podcast hosts and their guests and do not represent those of people, institutions, or organizations that the hosts or guests may or may not be affiliated or associated with a professional or personal capacity. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual. The names, dates, or personal details may have been changed or removed to protect confidentiality.
If you like what we are doing and would like to support us, check us out on Patreon! A huge thank you to everyone for listening: please comment, like, share and keep listening.

Support the show