Mount Benson Plane Crash, 1951, Plaque
This bronze plaque is located in the Bowen Road Cemetery, 555 Bowen Road, Nanaimo. It is immediately west of the maintenance facility. It was developed with the support of the Nanaimo Historical Society and the BC Building Trades Council. It was unveiled on August 16, 2025. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which has operated since 1928.
This is one of many Plaques around the Province, a project of the BC Labour Heritage Centre which aims to recognize events, actions, episodes, movements, or experiences that played a significant role in the history of the labour movement and working people in all regions of British Columbia.
B.C.’s Worst Aviation Disaster Kills 23 Workers
The plaque reads: After dark on 17 October 1951, in fog and driving rain, all 23 people on board a converted RCAF Canso A bomber were killed when it smashed into the north face of Mount Benson (te'tuxwtun), eight kilometres west of Nanaimo. In addition to the flight crew, the aircraft was carrying contruction works from the Aluminum Company of Canada (ALCAN) hydro dam and smelter project in Kitimat to their homes in and near Vancouver. Remains and personal effects, including union membership applications, were scattered around the wreckage. The remains of 12 victims are interred in a mass grave on this spot. At the time, it was the worst aviation disaster in B.C. history and the second worst in Canadian history.