Historical eventJuly 81965

Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21

Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21 was destroyed by a bomb near 100 Mile House, Canada, killing 52.

Everything on July 8Original source

In context

When
Thursday, July 8 196561 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1960s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1965-07-08.

Place: Canada.

Type: aviation accident.

Deaths reported: 52.

What came beforeAI-assisted

Canadian Pacific Air Lines operated scheduled passenger flights across Canada in the 1960s. Flight 21 was a domestic service from Vancouver to Fort St. John, British Columbia.

Catalyst / how it startedAI-assisted

A bomb was placed in the aircraft's cargo hold before departure. The device detonated during flight near 100 Mile House, British Columbia, causing the plane to break apart in mid-air.

Who was involvedAI-assisted

The flight carried 52 passengers and crew members, all of whom died in the explosion. The bomber was never definitively identified, though the incident remained under investigation for years.

TimelineAI-assisted

July 8, 1965: Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21 departed Vancouver and was destroyed by an explosion near 100 Mile House, killing all 52 people aboard. The crash became one of Canada's deadliest aviation disasters at the time.

What happened

Incident While en route from Vancouver to Prince George, the DC-6 Empress of City of Buenos Aires , piloted by captain John Alfred Steele (41), first officer Warner Murray Wells (29), and flight engineer Stanley Edward Clarke (26), crashed after passing Ashcroft, British Columbia . About 15:40, three mayday calls were heard by air traffic control in Vancouver. An explosion had occurred in the left aft lavatory. The tail separated from the fuselage. The aircraft spiralled and crashed into a wooded area.

Aftermath A coroner's inquest concluded "an explosive substance foreign to the normal contents of the aircraft" caused the crash. A witness on the ground saw the tail of the aircraft separate from the fuselage and debris trail out behind the aircraft. The debris turned out to be the bodies of passengers forced out by the depressurization of the aircraft. The fuselage was consumed by fire where it fell, but the tail, found 500 metres away, was not.

Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21 was destroyed by a bomb near 100 Mile House, Canada, killing 52.

July 8 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1965Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21
  2. 1994Kim Jong Il
  3. 2003Sudan Airways Flight 139
  4. 2011Space Shuttle Atlantis
  5. 2014Israel
  6. 20142014 FIFA World Cup
  7. 2014Disappearance of Lars Mittank
  8. 2014Brazil national football team
  9. 2021Head of a Bear
  10. 2022Shinzo Abe
  11. 2025Hurricane Beryl

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Everything we record for 1965 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/canadian-pacific-air-lines-flight-21-1965-july-8, accessed October 27, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Canadian Pacific Air Lines Flight 21 happen?

July 8 1965 — 61 years ago, on a Thursday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints. Panels marked AI-assisted were filled where the sources left a heading empty.

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Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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