Close call on the runway

Heroes Remember

Close call on the runway

Transcript

I'll come, I'll go to one incident that sticks out in my mind, because I, if it had been a few seconds longer then I wouldn't be here talking with you. We were moving from, by the way when we first went to Burma, we were on the India-Burma border in Assam in the Imphal Valley, Kangla, to be right specific, like Quispamsis. But anyhow we were there for up until March and in March we went down the coast to Akyab and then further down south to Ramri. As it turned out it was on May 7th of 1945, we were supposed to have got off early in the morning, and we didn't for whatever reason and anyhow we, it was around noon hour when we were ready to take off about twenty of us on board as passengers, charging off down the runway at 90 knots tail up and all that and the port motor died. We wound up in some brush growth at the end of the runway, 180 degree turn. We were a little bit concerned but we didn't know what was going on really, so we all got out of course and standing around wondering what happened and what to do and I remember the pilot got out, and he was so nervous that he couldn't light a cigarette. Anyhow it turned out to be that the, that we, the motor transport section had been directed to take fuel from a storage tank without checking it for water. So we had a 120 gallons of water in the fuel tank. They won't fly on water. So that was a close call, a few more seconds we would've been airborne, and I wouldn't be here to tell it.

Description

Mr. Duffley tells about trying to take off with water in the fuel tanks.

Louis Duffley

Louis Duffley was born in Quispamsis, New Brunswick on 14 February, 1920. He and some friends joined the Air Force and in 1941 travelled to Toronto for kitting and elementary discipline. From there, he went to Technical school in Belleville. He finished up in 1942 and was posted in Moncton, New Brunswick. He stayed there for a year and a half before being sent off to Dorval, Quebec for another course. After two months, Mr Duffley joined the 165 Squadron on the West Coast. Eventually, in 1944 he and two Air Force friends were sent overseas.

Meta Data

Medium:: Video
Owner:: Veterans Affairs Canada
Duration:: 01:57
Person Interviewed:: Louis Duffley
War, Conflict or Mission:: Second World War
Location/Theatre:: Burma
Branch:: Air Force
Units/Ship:: 436 Squadron
Occupation:: Aircraft Instrument Engineer

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Close call on the runway

Heroes Remember