Stealth-y bomber in St. James

It’s February 17, 1957, a typical cold Sunday evening in Winnipeg. You’re relaxing in your cozy St. James home, awaiting the Ed Sullivan Show on CBC at 7 p.m. Tonight’s lineup includes the Harlem Globetrotters, a song-and-dance number, and opera performances. The show starts soon.

And then a 10-ton B-25 Mitchell bomber plows through your neighbourhood.

The B-25 bomber has a wingspan of 67'7" (20.6m) and is 16'4" (4.98m) tall. [Wikipedia]

News editors sprang into action, and Winnipeg newspapers printed detailed accounts the next day.

“This aerial photograph charts the path taken by the Mitchell bomber which crashed in St. James Sunday night. No. 1 is the Mair home with a portion of its roof sheared off. No. 2 is the McMunn garage, minus part of its roof. No. 3 is where the Lyons garage was demolished on Ferry road. The nose of the plane pushed into the Campbell home is pictured in No. 4. The vacant lot where the plane finally came to a stop is shown in No. 5. In No. 6 the landing directional light pole for aircraft is pictured.” [WFP photo]

Needless to say, the story dominated the front pages of city newspapers.¹

The bomber’s long-distance training flight had originated in Vancouver and picked up two passengers on Vancouver Island before heading to Winnipeg. The six servicemen onboard included F/O J. S. Sargent, (pilot), Cpl. R. A. Lindberg, F/O D. Gibson (navigator), F/S R. F. Hawes, and LAC M. W Crowson.

Coming in from the southwest with coughing engines, Sargent hoped he could just reach the runway. When the crash was imminent, he retracted the bomber’s landing gear to try to clear homes below. 

The two-story house at 422 College Street was too tall to miss. The bomber ripped a 12-foot strip from its roof, right above the room where Mrs. Mary Mair was standing. [WFP]

Mrs. Mair in her attic, showing where the roof was partially sheared off by the Mitchell bomber. [WFP]

Witnesses gave dramatic accounts to the WinnipegFree Press. It was an experience Mary’s daughter Joan would never forget, saying, “If he had been two feet lower, the bomber would have crashed into three College street houses.”² 

She was brushing her teeth in the bathroom. At about one minute before 7 p.m., FO. Sargent’s plane ripped 12 feet off the roof of her house immediately above her head.

The bedroom ceiling caved in. Splinters and glass showered the room and clattered off a wall. Four inches beyond the other side of the wall, was Mrs. Mair.

“But,” says her daughter, Joan, 18, “think what could have happened. I saw him do it. I saw that plane come in. He actually dipped one wing so the other would clear the top of this house.

“Just over the top of the telephone wires and out front he went,” said Joan. “Then over us, under the wires in the back lane and finally down on the empty lot with the loudest explosion I have ever heard. It flattened a garage as it came down.” […]

“I was standing looking out the bedroom window,” Joan said. “Suddenly from over the Ellman’s house across the street, I saw these lights coming. There wasn’t a sound. His motors weren’t running. Just the lights, weird and big coming over the roof tops.

“These, said neighbours, were the landing lights.

“Then I could see it. It was a big one. It was headed right for the house. But as I said, he tipped his wings and slid right over the top of us.

“Then I heard this big explosion. I ran in the house. I shouted to mother there was a plane down. I ran out in the backyard.”³

With no engine power the plane’s fate was sealed when it descended too low and clipped properties on College Street and Ferry Road. 

The bomber finally hit the ground in an empty lot with its nose against the wall of the Clarence Campbell’s house at 435 Ferry Road. [Allen Peden, WFP]

All six men aboard the downed plane survived with minor injuries, including one found 20 minutes after the crash under some wreckage. They were checked out in hospital and soon released. Remarkably, there was no fire, and no-one on the ground was injured. A few were shaken up, but not otherwise hurt.

The bomber finally hit the ground in an empty lot with its nose against the wall of the Clarence Campbell’s house at 435 Ferry Road. [WFP]

Questions were raised immediately, and an RCAF inquiry was promptly scheduled. St. James residents were understandably nervous. There had been two other RCAF crashes in recent weeks. A mere 13 days earlier two airmen were killed when their Expediter crashed and burned near Charleswood. In December the crash of another Mitchell bomber near Brookside cemetery, just north of the airport, took the lives of two others. Closer to home, “The crash brought back memories of a similar mishap in April, 1950, when a plane, coming in for a landing on the same Stevenson field runway, sliced into a garage at 391 College street, killing a man in the garage.”⁴

As everyone had suspected, the bomber crashed because it simply ran out of gas, and a thorough examination of the wreck by RCAF technicians had confirmed it. The engines had not been under power when the aircraft hit the ground. The plane left Vancouver with full fuel tanks, but the extra run to Vancouver Island to pick up passengers Gibson and Hawes added flying time. Experts also determined that the engines were running rich, using more fuel than normal. Monitoring the Mitchell’s fuel gauges for four tanks could be tricky. The opportunity to refuel in Rivers, Manitoba was skipped. 

The view from the Mairs’ attic. A row of damaged buildings shows the bomber’s path. [WFP]

RCAF Inquiry

An RCAF inquiry was immediately scheduled days after the bomber crash. A trial, open to the public, would begin at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, February 28 at the RCAF base in Winnipeg.

The bomber pilot, Flying Officer J. S. Sargent, faced four serious charges. [Trib]

Flying Officer John Shearer Sargent’s court martial was formal and thorough. Lt. R. F. Barnes (RCN) Judge Advocate General Officer from Edmonton, led the prosecution. The pilot’s defending counsel was S/L J. F. Brennaugh, from the Judge Advocate General’s Office in Ottawa. The Judge Advocate of the Court was Lt. Col. M. J. P. Cloney, Assistant Judge Advocate General, Central Command, acting as legal advisor. Several experts were called as witnesses, as were Sargent’s crewmates, and the pilot took the stand to explain his actions.

The five-man court consists of G/C J. D. Sommerville, officer commanding, RCAF Station Macdonald; W/C W. B. M. Millar, Saskatoon; S/L A. L. Sinclair, RCAF Station Portage la Prairie; S/L C. E. Endersbe, of RCAF Station Portage la Prairie; F/L E. C. Gowsell, RCAF Station Saskatoon.⁵

Sargent is charged with failing to make a refueling stop on his flight from Vancouver to Winnipeg when he knew he should have made the stopover; that he failed to make appropriate emergency landing action on approach to Winnipeg when he knew or should have known the aircraft was short of fuel; that he deviated from the authorized flight path by making a flight to Vancouver Island prior to setting out for Winnipeg (he was authorized only to fly from Vancouver to Winnipeg); and that he made a false entry on his flight plan by listing two passengers on the flight when these two passengers were not aboard the aircraft.⁶

Sargent pleaded guilty to one of the charges, confessing to the court that he had deviated from the flight authorization when he flew to Vancouver Island, calling it “an error in judgement.” He also admitted that his decision not to refuel at Rivers was wrong, saying, “If I had to do it over again I would land at Rivers to refuel.”⁷

The bomber crew thought they would make it to Winnipeg’s airport, until the very end. Both engines quit before they hit the ground, and a meagre five gallons of fuel remained in the tanks.

Sargent testified on his own behalf, and was the sole defence witness. He pointed out that he had received no special long-range flying training when he started flying Mitchell bombers. When asked by Prosecuting Officer Barnes, “Do you feel that the air force is to blame for the trouble you are in?” Sargent replied, “Yes, I do.”⁸

The pilot recounted the flight in detail. The first hint of trouble, he said, was “a marked rough running and surge of power on the starboard engine accompanied by fluctuations of the starboard fuel pressure gauge.” About 15 to 20 miles (24–32 km) from Winnipeg he directed the crew to cross-feed the fuel tanks to reach both engines.

Co-pilot D. Gibson and passenger Leading Aircraftman M. W. Crowson [Trib]

The starboard engine started to cut out when total fuel measured about 60 gallons, about 25 miles (40 km) out of Winnipeg. The co-pilot, D. Gibson, called the Winnipeg tower controller that they were short of fuel and asked for landing instructions, but did not declare it an emergency—yet. Clearance from the tower was given. The bomber descended to 1500 feet (457 m) and the landing gear was lowered.

But then—the starboard engine began cutting out once again. Now intending to crash land at the airport, Sargent told his co-pilot to raise the wheels. Gibson did, and when the port engine also faulted moments later, he declared an emergency. Air traffic controller Joseph Forsland, a court witness, took the mayday call and immediately alerted emergency crews.

The bomber was now less than two miles (3.2 km) from the field. The Tribune quoted Sargent’s account:

“It appeared to me at that time my chances of making the edge of the runway were quite good.

“However shortly after the starboard engine cut out completely and after correcting a very severe yaw to starboard the port engine cut out. We were then at an altitude of 100 feet [30.5 m] and were definitely committed to a crash landing.

“I made every attempt to keep the aircraft from losing air speed but when the starboard wing tip hit the roof of a house I abandoned the controls to protect myself.”⁹

Close, but not close enough. The bomber was in line with Runway 31, barely outside the airport when it hit the ground. [Google maps]

Before the court adjourned to consider sentencing, two character witnesses spoke well of F/O Sargent. 

“I would be prepared to have FO. Sargent continue in the same capacity with his squadron,” FL. Bern Peterson, officer commanding, air interception squadron, Winnipeg, told the court.

FO. Sargent had been deputy squadron commander of the unit for the past eight months.

The second character witness, SL. A. W. Appleby, officer commanding flying wing, No. 2 air observers school, Winnipeg, also told the court he would have no hesitation in accepting FO. Sargent back to his post. SL Appleby said he had known the accused for approximately three years.

The pilot, who was 26 at the time his bomber crashed in St. James, joined the service in May 1953. He has a permanent commission, is a qualified air pilot and has no decoration or award. There have been no previous entries on the accused’s conduct sheet, and his character is recorded as “good.”¹⁰

It took 43 minutes for the five-member court to arrive at its sentence. On April 26 news reporters announced it: a fine of $200 that was considered severe, because the black mark would always hinder an RCAF career.

A 27-year-old RCAF pilot Friday was severely reprimanded and fined $200 at his general court martial in Winnipeg.

But the immediate reaction of most laymen—that the flying officer got off lightly—was countered by military opinion that the punishment will continue to affect him throughout his air force career.

FO. John Shearer Sargent of Westwood, Ont., has been found guilty Thursday afternoon on three charges of neglectful flying procedure arising from the crash of his B-25 Mitchell bomber in St. James Feb. 17. He was found not guilty on a fourth charge. […]

The sentence is not considered light in military circles. The reprimand will be considered every time FO. Sargent is up for promotion or transfer or change in responsibility. The entry on his conduct sheet is never erased.

The punishment is described as a continuing one because it will continue to affect his career for many years and will tend to put him behind other officers with the same qualifications and experience.¹¹

Captain Sargent in his later years.

John (“Jack”) Shearer Sargent remained a pilot. In 1964 he accepted a job at United Airlines, and moved his young family to Chicago. He retired as an airline captain in 1990, and lived in Florida, passing away at age 91 on October 30, 2021.¹²

A Second Airfield

Alderman E. Bennett sat on the RCAF inquiry panel and also chaired the St. James–Winnipeg Airport Commission. Understandably alarmed by the aircraft accidents in the Winnipeg area, the commission quickly proposed measures to address the risk. 

The commission will ask Transport Minister George Marier to take the following measures:

• Extend the north-west runway to increase the angle of glide for aircraft approaching Stevenson Field.
• Establish a satellite field for smaller aircraft away from the built-up area.
• Require that all aircraft have radio equipment and be under radio control during take-off and landing.¹³

The Mayor of St. James, Thomas Findlay, said the federal government was seriously considering buying land south of Winnipeg for a new air field.

Private aircraft accounted for a large proportion of take-offs and landings at the field. Continual practice of these routines was a necessary part of pilot training. The job of meshing this traffic with airline and military operations was complicated by the absence of radio in many small private planes. […] 

“We’ve been concerned over the possibility of one of these small aircraft colliding with an airliner,” said Mayor Findlay. “As commercial planes get larger and faster the margin of error decreases.” […]

The satellite field project has received the support of Ald. A. E. Bennett, chairman of the airport commission. Mr. Bennett would also like to see the present airstrip extended to the northwest and further building prohibited in a “danger zone” around the airport.¹⁴

While a distant airfield would reduce the number of small and private plane crashes at Stevenson Field, the risk from military or airline incidents at the main airport remained.

In April of 1957 a full-width headline on page one of the Winnipeg Tribune announced, “$10 MILLION AIRPORT FOR CITY.” Designed to handle large airliners, a new passenger terminal (complete with large waiting rooms, a dining room, concessions, and shops) promised to be the most up-to-date in the country. A runway would be extended and a new taxi strip added. Improvements would include a power house, equipment garage, radio and radar facilities, as well as offices for airlines, air traffic control, telecommunications and weather services.¹⁵

A second airfield was established, but not until 1962, and not south of Winnipeg as originally anticipated. St. Andrews Airport opened in 1962 “to alleviate increased flight training and air traffic pressures” by “allowing smaller aircraft operations to be diverted from the main international hub and supporting the growth of local aviation in the region.”¹⁶

St. Andrews Airport, 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Winnipeg.¹⁷

By 2022 the St. Andrews Airport was Canada’s eleventh busiest airport by aircraft movements. It is “primarily used for commercial operations, particularly flight training, air charters, scheduled passenger service, and air ambulances. Scheduled passenger service is primarily provided by Northway Aviation which operates routes to small communities in Northern Manitoba.”¹⁸

The Campbell House

The RCAF investigation into the crash and subsequent court martial followed in short order. Others had to deal with the aftermath and red tape for months yet. The bomber’s nose hit the Campbells’ house at 435 Ferry Road when it finally came to rest, pushing the home four feet (1.2 m) off its foundation.

The RCAF offered to pay restitution, and a news story two days after the crash gave the Campbell family hope that an insurance settlement would soon be processed.

A spokesman for the RCAF said Wednesday that a representative of the Underwriters’ Adjustment bureau, with an RCAF officer, Monday had contacted owners of homes and buildings damaged in the crash and advised them to assess their damages and put in their claims. The bureau meanwhile carried on its own investigation and will forward to government legal and administrative authorities their recommendations for damages to be paid the different individuals.

After the authorities compare the amounts of damage asked for with the assessors’ recommendations, attempts will be made to reach a satisfactory settlement.¹⁹

Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Campbell had occupied the house since 1939. At 435 Ferry Road, it was only 500 yards (457 m) from a runway. The couple was very glad they were not at home when the bomber hit. That evening they were watching a new TV at 1265 Alexander Avenue, the home of Clarence’s brother, Les. Saved by Ed Sullivan!

The Campbells stayed with relatives and in rentals after the crash. Their house was badly damaged and would need extensive work to make it habitable. [Allen Peden, WFP]

Every window in the home but one was splintered The walls lean at a dizzy angle. Pieces of furniture were shattered or ruined. Precious souvenirs of earlier days were smashed.

“Of course we can’t go on living here,” Mr. Campbell, a carpenter in Weston CPR Shops, told The Tribune. “After this we’d be nervous wrecks in six months listening to those planes going overhead and wondering which was coming in next.” […]

The Campbells’ plans to add new rooms to the old home can be forgotten for some time to come—along with the couple’s peace of mind in the path of incoming planes.

“Let’s face it,” Clarence Campbell said wearily Tuesday, “when that plane struck, 18 years went straight down the drain. We can’t stay here.”²⁰

Six properties—four on College Street and two on Ferry Road—were damaged in the crash. Five had minor damage and their claims were met in short order. The Campbells claimed $10,000 damages, but the Department of National Defence insurance adjusters offered less than half of that. 

The amount offered could not possibly replace their former home and wrecked furniture, much less pay for temporary accommodations elsewhere. In the spring, still waiting an acceptable insurance payout, the couple moved into their garage.

A St. James couple whose home was damaged in the Feb. 17 crash of an RCAF plane got permission Tuesday from city council to live in a garage until their house is repaired.

Mayor T. B. Findlay, however, told Mr. and Mrs. Campbell that if HIS family had been left homeless by the crash, he would have lived in the Royal Alexandra hotel, and charged the bill to the federal government.

The Campbells’ home at 435 Ferry road was damaged when a Mitchell bomber crashed into it while attempting to land at Stevenson field. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell were compelled to move out and have been living with relatives.

Tuesday, however, they applied to council for permission to use a garage as a temporary home. Council agreed, providing the couple doesn’t live in the garage for more than six months.

Council extended another helping hand to the Campbells. Expressing the home that a satisfactory settlement could be reached, it instructed its solicitor to write the government department concerned and press for action.

Mayor Findlay said that the couple should be repaid for any inconvenience and expense they have faced because of the crash. An alderman suggested writing to the constituency’s candidates in the June 10 federal election.²¹

“Neighbours donated much equipment to the Campbells, but they must carry their water from a block away, and light the garage with a kerosene lamp until they get electricity. Heat is supplied by a Quebec heater.” [WFP]

The Campbells settled in to their garage, and made the best of it. On May 7 they advised the St. James Council that they had received net compensation of $6,970. An additional $1,001 went to furniture storage and legal fees. 

“We can’t stay here.” Of all the buildings the bomber hit, the tiny Campbell home had the most damage. [Allen Peden, WFP]

The balance was not enough to meet the St. James town planning commission’s regulation that a home had to be at least 750 square feet. Councillors were sympathetic but said the cheque should not have accepted if the amount was insufficient. Mr. Campbell asked for permission to rebuilt the house at its smaller, existing size. The request was referred to the Planning Commission for consideration. Their decision is unknown, but a 2018 Google map photo of 435 Ferry Road shows a small bungalow that replaced the original 1939 house.

435 Ferry Road in October 2018 [Google maps]

The B-25 Mitchell Bomber 

The North American Mitchell II was the most-produced American medium bomber. Introduced in 1941, nearly 10,000, in several variants, were built, and served in every WWII theatre. It was considered an easy airplane to fly, suitable for pilot training programs as a safe and forgiving aircraft to fly. The warplane was very sturdy and could withstand tremendous punishment. The RCAF used the bomber for training during the war, and continued to use their 162 Mitchells post-war in other roles, including high-altitude aerial photography and transport until the early 1960s.²²

The North American B-25 Mitchell owned by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum.

The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario will pair its B-25 with its Lancaster bomber (one of only two airworthy Lancs in the world) in Remembrance Day flights. A 20-minute flight in the Mitchell is available for $900, for those with museum annual memberships of $125.  

If you book a flight, try not to plow through St. James.

City News, “B-25 Bomber to join Lancaster for Remembrance Day flight” 2025 [2:59]

____________________________

Sources (retrieved March 13, 2026)

1. “ ‘Miracle’ As Bomber Smashes In Empty Lot,” Winnipeg Free Press, February 18, 1957, p. 1, 5 (re-typed for clarity)
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. “Bomber Pilot Faces Court,” Winnipeg Tribune, April 24, 1957, p. 13
6. Ibid.
7. “Pilot Confesses He Made Error,” Winnipeg Tribune, April 25, 1957, p. 1
8. “Pilot Blames RCAF For Bomber’s Crash,” Winnipeg Free Press, April 25, 1957 p. 3
9. “Pilot Confesses He Made Error,” Winnipeg Tribune, April 25, 1957, p. 11
10. “Severe Reprimand $200 Fine For Pilot: ‘Not Light Sentence’,” Winnipeg Free Press, April 26, 1957 p. 4
11. “Severe Reprimand $200 Fine For Pilot: ‘Not Light Sentence’,” Winnipeg Free Press, April 26, 1957 p. 1
12. John Sargent Obituary, The Venice Gondolier Sun, https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/venice/name/john-sargent-obituary?id=31316005 
13. “3-Step Action Sought,” Winnipeg Tribune, February 18, 1957, p. 1
14. “Satellite Field Planned to Ease Aircraft Traffic,” Winnipeg Tribune, February 2, 1957, p. 1
15. “$10 Million Airport For City,” Winnipeg Tribune, April 18, 1957, p. 1
16. “Winnipeg/St. Andrews Airport,” Grokipedia, https://grokipedia.com/page/winnipegst_andrews_airport>  
17. St. Andrews Airport photo, https://www.standrewsairport.ca/gallery/nggallery/page/1 
18. “Winnipeg/St. Andrews Airport,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipeg/St._Andrews_Airport 
19. “No Gas? Probe To Tell,” Winnipeg Free Press, February 20, 1957, p. 4
20. Jack Hutton, “Why They Weren’t Home When B-29 [sic] Came Calling,” Winnipeg Tribune, February 19, 1957, p. 13
21. “They’ll Live In Garage Till House Is Repaired,” Winnipeg Free Press, April 17, p. 3
22. “North American B-25 Mitchell,” Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_B-25_Mitchell

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