Unsolved 1940s plane crash subject of ElderCollege course

On Oct. 30, 1941 an American Airlines aircraft called the Flagship Erie fell from the skies in southwestern Ontario, crashing into a farmer’s field near the town of Lawrence Station.

The 20 people onboard – 17 passengers and three crew – were all killed.

The cause was never conclusively determined, in part because the bombing of Pearl Harbour just a few weeks later overshadowed the crash.

American Airlines aircraft the Flagship Erie. (Courtesy: Southwold Township History Committee)

Windsor-based scholar Lloyd Brown-John said he became fascinated with the story of the crash after reading the book Final Descent: The Loss of the Flagship Eerie by Robert D. Schweyer.

“It’s a mystery. Why did this airplane fall out of the sky?” he said.

Brown-John is the director and founder of Canterbury ElderCollege – a branch of the University of Windsor offering lessons and courses to those over 55-years-old.

American Airlines aircraft the Flagship Erie. (Courtesy: Southwold Township History Committee)

Come Nov. 7, they’re offering a one off course on the mysterious plane crash, featuring a panel of aerospace experts.

“And hopefully they will be able to provide some explanation and solve the mystery of why this airplane crashed,” Brown-John says.

The event (dubbed ‘A Mystery: Perhaps Solved’) will be hosted at the Canadian Aviation Museum, with a $10 admission fee.

Registration is open online.

American Airlines aircraft the Flagship Erie. (Courtesy: Southwold Township History Committee)