THIS DAY IN JOURNAL HISTORY
Dec. 6, 1981: Pilot killed, co-pilot hurt when small plane crashes into Royal Alexandra Hospital
A small twin-engined plane crashed into the unoccupied top floor of the Royal Alexandra Hospital, killing 63-yearold pilot Bill Gieg and leaving co-pilot Ed Burton, 30, seriously injured with multiple fractures.
The two Edmonton men had to be cut from the wreckage of the Mitsubishi MU-2J about two hours after the 6:05 p.m. crash. The Edmonton-based aircraft, owned by North American Road Ltd., had been returning to the municipal airport from Fort McMurray.
Although the plane did not catch fire, its tanks began leaking more than 450 litres of fuel directly into a hospital air shaft, spreading all the way down to the second floor. The fumes were widespread.
As doctors, nurses and orderlies began evacuation procedures, more than 120 sixth-floor patients were moved in wheelchairs and beds to a reception area near the ground-level emergency entrance. None of the 900 hospital patients was injured. The emergency department was closed and visitors were turned away.
“This was an accident waiting to happen,” said Dr. George Allin, the hospital’s medical director. “Had it hit any other area of the hospital, it would have been a real tragedy.”
Hospital board chairman and city alderman Ed Leger also went to the site.
“We’re extremely lucky,” said Leger. “We should thank our lucky stars that the plane didn’t go into the patient area and, secondly, it didn’t explode.”
Don Gordon, head duty manager of the airport, said the plane was headed to Runway 30 on a glide path that took it over the hospital when it crashed. The runway had been used for fewer than half the 194,500 landings and takeoffs at the airport in 1980. It was not used for instrument landings because of the buildings on the glide path.
Airport regulations limited the size of planes taking off from Runway 30 to prevent excessive noise over the hospital, but landings were not restricted, said Gordon.
By the next morning, five weary crane operators pulled out of the east-side parking lot. All the fuel and debris had been cleared, leaving the crash site deserted.
The incident temporarily reopened the long-standing debate on whether the airport should be moved or closed entirely. In July 2009, city council voted to close it to make way for a residential development.