Pacific Western Airlines

Pacific Western Airlines
Pacific Western Airlines Boeing 737-200, Vancouver 1981
IATA code :	PW
ICAO code :	PWA
Call sign :	Pacific Western
Founding:	1945
Operation stopped:	1987
Seat:	Vancouver , from 1974 Calgary
Home airport :	Vancouver International Airport , from 1974 Calgary International Airport
IATA prefix code :	227
Number of employees:	2650
Fleet size:	28
Aims:	National and international
Pacific Western Airlines ceased operations in 1987. The information in italics refer to the last status before the end of operation.

A Douglas DC-4 of the PWA, 1959

A Boeing 707 of the PWA, Manchester 1974

Pacific Western Airlines , shortly "PWA" , was a Canadian airline with headquarters in Vancouver , 1974 in Calgary . After starting in the bush aviation from 1945 the company grew to the second largest Canadian airline, which operated a large domestic route network as well as worldwide charter flights. In 1987 it merged with two other companies to form Canadian Airlines International .

history

In July 1945, Central British Columbia Airlines was founded by two bush pilots and a mine operator. In the years from 1949 to 1955, several other airlines were taken over, including Associated Airways , which had a lucrative license to supply the military bases of the Distant Early Warning Line , as well as Port Alberni Airways and Queen Charlotte Airlines .

In May 1953 the company name was changed to Pacific Western Airlines . Scheduled flight operations began in 1955 and covered large parts of the north and west of Canada. In early 1956, PWA had 112 aircraft.

For the first time in 1964, Douglas DC-6 took on charter flights abroad, first to the Caribbean Cayman Islands , followed by flights to Great Britain.

In 1967 charter flights were also started with long-haul Boeing 707 aircraft , initially to Hawaii and Mexico , and later to Europe, including Frankfurt. With the cargo version of this type cargo charter flights were carried out worldwide. Also from 1967 cargo charter flights with Lockheed L-100 Hercules were taken up, of which PWA used 7 pieces over time. These machines were also used on routes to Africa, South America and Japan.

PWA was one of the early customers for the Boeing 737 and began regular domestic flight operations with this type in December 1968.

From 1974 to 1983, the Alberta government took ownership of the company. The last Boeing 707 was sold in 1979.

On December 1, 1979, PWA took over the airline Transair from Winnipeg , expanding its route network to Saskatchewan and Manitoba .

In 1980, PWA took a minority stake of 24% in Air Ontario .

Starting in 1983, two Boeing 767 wide-bodied aircraft served the domestic routes with the greatest demand; however, the two machines were sold again in 1985.

In December 1986, PWA shareholders decided to acquire much larger, but financially troubled Canadian Pacific Air Lines . The official takeover took place on February 1, 1987, and on April 26, 1987 the operations of the three airlines Pacific Western Airlines, Canadian Pacific Air Lines and Nordair were merged into a single airline with the new name Canadian Airlines International . All three previous names were given up.

fleet

Fleet at the end of operations

When it merged to form Canadian Airlines International, Pacific Western Airlines operated the following aircraft:

• 27 × Boeing 737-200
• 01 × Lockheed L-100 Hercules

Previously deployed aircraft

A Douglas DC-3 of the PWA, Vancouver 1966

A Douglas DC-6 of the PWA, Calgary 1967

The following aircraft types were previously in use at Pacific Western Airlines:

• Avro York
• Boeing 707
• Boeing 727-100C
• Boeing 737-300 (rented)
• Boeing 767-200ER
• Bristol 170
• Convair CV-340
• Convair CV-440
• Convair CV-640
• Curtiss C-46 Commando
• de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
• Douglas DC-3
• Douglas DC-4
• Douglas DC-6
• Douglas DC-7
• Grumman G-44 Widgeon
• Grumman G-73 Mallard
• Lockheed L-188 Electra
• NAMC YS-11 (acquired by Transair)
• Nord 262 (taken over by BC Air Lines)

Incidents

At Pacific Western Airlines, up to the merger with Canadian Airlines International in 1987, 11 total aircraft losses occurred. 63 people were killed. Extracts:

• On August 3, 1955, a Pacific Western Airlines Grumman Mallard ( aircraft registration number CF-IOA ) disappeared between Kemano and Kitimat ( British Columbia ). The search was stopped after a month. Three years later, on July 23, 1958, the wreck was found at an altitude of around 1,500 meters near Kemano. All 5 occupants, two pilots and three passengers, were killed.

• On September 17, 1955, a Bristol 170 Mk. 31 of Pacific Western Airlines (PWA) (CF-GBT) had an engine failure on a flight to Yellowknife , whereupon the pilots decided to return to the starting airport Edmonton-Municipal . According to another source, the machine was operated by Associated Airways , which was acquired by PWA that same year. Due to, among other things, at least 635 kilograms of overloading, the plane crashed 22 kilometers north of Thorhild ( Alberta ) on a field, although the cargo had started to be dropped. Of the 6 inmates, 2 were killed, the captain and one passenger.

• On May 22, 1956, a Grumman G-44 Widgeon of Pacific Western Airlines (CF-GYZ) crashed into Eagle Bay near the destination Kitimat ( British Columbia ). All 3 occupants, the pilot and the two passengers, were killed. They were on a flight search for a fisherman who had fallen from his boat.

• On May 30, 1956, the left main landing gear of a Bristol 170 Mk. 31 of Pacific Western Airlines (CF-TFZ ) broke through the ice of the lake when landing on the frozen Beaverlodge Lake ( Northwest Territories ). The aircraft fell on the left wing and was irreparably damaged. All three crew members survived. Even after more than 50 years, the wreck is still in good condition there (see photo from 2010 on Airliners.net).

• On June 24, 1957, an Avro York C.1 of Pacific Western Airlines (CF-HFP) rolled over the end of the runway when landing in Cape Parry ( Northwest Territories ) and was irreparably damaged. The two pilots, the only occupants on the cargo flight, survived.

• On January 29, 1960, problems with the right engine developed during flight on a Curtiss C-46 Super C of Pacific Western Airlines (CF-PWD) . It was turned off and the pilots returned to the starting airport in Port Hardy ( British Columbia back). On landing, the machine rolled over the end of the runway into the swampy terrain with tree stumps. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair. All 51 occupants, 3 crew members and 48 passengers survived the accident.

• On July 16, 1969, a Lockheed L-100 Hercules of Pacific Western Airlines (CF-PWO) loaded with machines landed at the airfield in Caycaya (or Cayaya, Caucaya) ( Peru ) in hazy or foggy weather . The right wing hit the ground and broke off, the plane slid off the runway to the right. All crew members on the cargo flight survived. In addition to pilot errors, the lack of air traffic control and permanently installed landing aids were listed as causes.

• On September 17, 1969, a Convair CV-640 of Pacific Western Airlines (CF-PWR) was flown into a hill three kilometers from the destination while approaching Campbell River Airport ( Vancouver Island ). The reason was flying an improvised, impermissible approach procedure in bad weather. In this CFIT, Controlled flight into terrain , 4 of the 15 occupants were killed, two crew members and two passengers.

An identical Lockheed L-100 Hercules of the PWA, Paris-Orly 1977 , which crashed on November 21, 1976

• On January 2, 1973, a cargo flight from Toronto to Edmonton was carried out with a Boeing 707-321C of Pacific Western Airlines (CF-PWZ) . The plane was loaded with 86 cattle. Three kilometers from its destination airport, the machine brushed against trees and power lines and crashed onto a wall in a gravel pit. In the accident, the cattle were thrown forward out of the fuselage to a distance of up to 100 meters, and all five crew members died. A fire broke out. The cause of the accident could not be determined (see also Pacific-Western-Airlines flight 3801 ) .

• On November 21, 1976, a Pacific Western Airlines (C-FPWX) L-100-20 Hercules crashed near Kisangani , Zaire . The pilots were looking for a way to make an emergency landing in poor visibility when their machine collided with trees and termite mounds . Five out of six people died on board. There was not enough kerosene on board to return to another airport (see also the Pacific Western Airlines accident at Kisangani ) .

• On February 11, 1978, the pilots of a Boeing 737-200 operated by Pacific Western Airlines (C-FPWC) were landing at Cranbrook Airport when they discovered that a snow plow had not yet left their runway. They first activated the thrust reverser , but the next moment they initiated a go- around maneuver . Since the left thrust reverser was still activated when going around, the aircraft leaned to the left and crashed. Of the 49 people on board, 42 were killed (see also Pacific Western Airlines flight 314 ) .

See also

• Former Airlines List (America)

Web links

Commons : Pacific Western Airlines  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ulrich Klee, Frank Bucher et al .: jp airline-fleets international 1986 , p. 50. Zurich Airport 1986.
2. ↑ Alberta's Aviation Heritage , accessed February 1, 2020.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Bernhard Isidor Hengi, editor Josef Krauthäuser: Past, Forgotten, Gone. Former airlines worldwide from 1970 . Nara-Verlag, Allershausen 1999, ISBN 3-925671-27-7 , pp. 154-155.
4. ↑ rzjets: Central British Columbia Airways, Pacific Western Airlines (English), accessed February 1, 2020.
5. ↑ Peter C. Smith: The Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules - A Complete History , Manchester 2010, ISBN 9 780859 791533, pp. 349-351.
6. ^ Pacific Western Employee Web Site: Hercules , accessed February 1, 2020.
7. ↑ ^{a b c} rzjets, History of Central British Columbia Airways and Pacific Western Airlines, accessed February 1, 2020.
8. ^ Pacific Western Employee Web Site: Transair , accessed February 1, 2020.
9. ↑ Ulrich Klee, Frank Bucher et al .: jp airline-fleets international 1987 . Zurich Airport 1987.
10. ↑ Ulrich Klee, Frank Bucher et al .: jp airline-fleets international 1986 , pp. 50–51. Zurich Airport 1986.
11. ^ Ulrich Klee, Frank Bucher et al .: jp airline-fleets international . Zurich Airport 1966–1986.
12. ↑ Gradidge, Jennifer M .: The Story Convairliners 47. Air-Britain (Historians), Tunbridge Wells, 1997, ISBN 0-85130-243-2 .
13. ↑ Accident Statistics Pacific Western Airlines , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 1, 2020.
14. ^ Accident report Grumman Mallard CF-IOA , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 4, 2020.
15. ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part 64 (English), March 1997, pp. 97/25.
16. ^ Accident report Bristol 170 CF-GBT , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 3, 2020.
17. ↑ ICAO Aircraft Accident Digest 7, Circular 50-AN / 45, Montreal 1957 (English), pp. 181-182.
18. ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part 67 (English), December 1997, pp. 97/111.
19. ↑ Joe Baugher: USAF serials , accessed February 4, 2020.
20. ^ Accident report Bristol 170 CF-TFZ , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 3, 2020.
21. ↑ recorded on October 11, 2010 , accessed on February 3, 2020.
22. ^ Accident report Avro York CF-HFP , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 4, 2020.
23. ^ Accident report C-46 CF-PWD , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 3, 2020.
24. ↑ Air-Britain Archive: Casualty compendium part 105 (English), December 2007, pp. 2007/191.
25. ^ Accident report Lockheed L-100 CF-PWO , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 4, 2020.
26. ↑ Lars Olausson: Lockheed Hercules 1954–2005 , p. 64. Såtenäs 2004.
27. ^ Accident report CV-640 CF-PWR , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 2, 2020.
28. ^ Accident report B-707-321C, CF-PWZ Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on March 15, 2019.
29. ↑ accident report L-100-20, C-FPWX Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on 6 April of 2019.
30. ^ Accident report B-737-200 C-FPWC , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on February 22, 2019.