Brian Grant Burkitt

Canadian Forces Decoration (CD)

Royal Canadian Air Force

418 Squadron

Brian began his life journey in Morden, Manitoba 28 January 1950, the second of four children born to Russel and Edna (Lechner) Burkitt. He completed his grade school & high school in Morden. He loved to play pool, driving fast cars, especially his Super B. If you were looking for Brian, he was either at the pool hall or in the driveway on Nelson Street tinkering on his car.

At the age of 18, Brian enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces 02 August 1968 in Winnipeg, MB. He was initially an aircraft technician and later trained as a Flight Engineer and was transferred to 418 AR (Air Reserve) Squadron in Edmonton. The role of 418 AR Squadron was light transport, training and search and rescue.

Brian married, raised 2 children and resided in Edmonton, Alberta.

On 06 June 1986 a Cessna 182, with 2 people onboard, crashed in the vicinity of Guinns Lake in the Kananaskis region west of Calgary. Despite the marginal weather a search was initiated and a Cessna 185, with 3 people on board, launched and began the search. A short time later it too crashed. This particular aircraft crash site was located the next day, 09 June. On 14 June, eight days after the search had been initiated, the missing Cessna 182 aircraft had not been located. At this time 418 Squadron was tasked to provide two aircraft for the search. Rescue 804 and 807 left Edmonton and refueled at Springbank Airport, near Calgary. Rescue 807 took on board 5 Civil Search and Rescue Association (CASARA) volunteers to act as spotters and then flew out to its assigned search area. After 30 – 40 minutes flight time an Emergency Locater Transmitter was heard by Rescue 804, the other Twin Otter aircraft on the search, and they quickly located the crash site. On 14 June 1986, Brian was one of eight people on board CC-13807 Twin Otter aircraft. All on board perished.

The investigation concluded the accident was caused by an illusion when the sun’s high angle and lack of shadow on terrain caused the pilot to perceive the mountains distance deceptively far away.

The crash site of the first Cessna 182 was located on 18 June 1986. The search had claimed 3 military and 8 civilian lives.

Three months later, a service held by the Government of Alberta named three lakes in the Kananaskis Valley the “Memorial Lakes” in honor of the people who lost their lives. A cairn with a bronze plaque stands just above the third and highest-altitude lake as a perpetual memorial.

Thirty years later, Lieutenant-Colonel (retired) Jim Gillespie, of 418 Squadron Association, delivered a tribute commemorating the loss of Twin Otter 807 and her Royal Canadian Air Force aircrew. Members of the 418 (City of Edmonton) Squadron Association placed commemorative stones at the Aviation Memorial located in front of the Alberta Aviation Museum in Edmonton, Alberta to ensure that Sergeant Brian Burkitt and the other two members of the Royal Canadian Air Force who lost their lives in the service of their country, are not forgotten.

“They did not grow old as we who were left grew old. Age did not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we still remember them.” Adapted from Laurence Binyon’s poem, “For the Fallen”.

Information on the crashes and rescue attempts are from a news article at the Alberta Aviation Museum, 14 July 2016.