On July 30, 1953, the North Bay Daily Nugget flashed a front page headline story that 30 year old George Hunter of Hamilton had ejected from his CF100 and that the plane had crashed near McQuaby Lake, 25 miles southwest of North Bay. Most plane crash sites are cleaned up, but this one remains and has become a part of the local folklore.
Hunter was flying alone in the two-seater CF100 that day, when he had engine trouble. He was at 10,000 feet when a warning light went on and he saw smoke in his starboard engine. He had 1,300 gallons of fuel on board, and when he pressed the fire extinguisher button it didn’t work. The radio wires were burned, making base contact impossible. He headed the plane for a lake nearby and, with a plume of smoke trailing behind, ejected. He became the first CF100 pilot to eject in a critical situation. The next day he was back flying again.
Note: This crash site is located on private propery. Permisson must be obtained from the land owner before accessing the site. The hunt trail that leads to the property of the crashed CF100 is also on private land.
