“Inquiry Court Investigates Air Accident,” Barrie Examiner. December 18, 1941. Page 1.
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Pilot Officer A. C. MacDonald, 23, Toronto, Missing Several Days
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EN ROUTE TO BORDEN
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A court of inquiry is now sitting at Camp Borden in connection with a flying accident which is believed to have cost the life of Pilot Officer Arthur Chinie MacDonald, 23, 401 Belster Drive, Toronto, who has been officially reported as missing after an operation.
Flight-Lieut. S. S. t. Douglass, adjutant of No. 1 Service Flying Training School, made the following announcement on behalf of the court of inquiry.
‘Pilot Officer A. C. MacDonald, while on a routine flight from Hagersville to Camp Borden, on December 12, disappeared from his formation in the vicinity of Hamilton, and up to the present time, no trace has been found either of pilot or air craft.’
Pilot Officer MacDonald was pilot of a Harvard training plane which was lost while on formation flight with thirty other planes, from Hagersville to Camp Borden. The thirty-one planes left Hagersville about 10:30 a.m., Friday, December 12, thirty of them landing safely at their destination in usual time. There was no sign of Pilot Officers MacDonald’s machine in which he was flying solo.
As far as weather would permit, there was a thorough weekend search, with planes taking part from many R.C.A.F. stations in Ontario. No trace of the missing airman nor his machine was found, however, although the search was quite widespread, officials believing the missing plane might have gone considerably far afield.
The search is continuing, although weather conditions at Camp Borden have been unfavorable during the past few days.
Pilot Officer MacDonald received his ‘wings’ at Uplands, Ottawa, and has been instructor at No. 1 Service Flying Training School, Camp Borden, since last July. His stepmother, Mrs. J. MacDonald, resides at 410 Belsize Drive, Toronto.
