Black Mountain Quebec's Historic Crash Hike

This is a beautiful and challenging hike that rewards in many ways. Located in the Laurentians, Black Mountain is a 13 km trail located near Saint-Donat-de-Montcalm, Quebec. The 35-year-old Intercentre trail is a portion of the National Trail, straddling the Lanaudière and Laurentides tourist regions. This area is a provincial treasure for good reason.

It is appropriately called, The Liberator Panoramic Viewpoint, for reasons dating back to the Second World War. It is named after a military aerial accident that killed 24, ‌the worst accident in Canadian military aviation history. During a routine flight from Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador to Mont-Joli, Quebec, a combination of inclement weather and a mapping error caused the Liberator III to collide with Black Mountain, killing all those onboard. 

On the night of the crash, Saint-Donat villagers remember hearing the noise of a large aircraft passing overhead and moments later an impact. Jos Gaudet, on duty in a fire tower at Lac Archambault, saw the light emitted by the burning wreckage but thought of it as the reflection of the sun on a moist rocky slope. On the morning of the crash Gaudet and Georges Moore took a boat around the lake to look for signs of wreckage such as oil slicks or debris, believing that the aircraft had fallen in the water. Later, Mr. Moore went to the town hall to alert the military authorities but his claim was dismissed as being implausible.

Once the aircraft's disappearance was noted, Canada's eastern aerial command conducted searches along the planned route of the Liberator. After 728 sorties for a total of 2,438 flight hours over a month's time, the search was called off. For almost three years the disappearance of Liberator Harry remained a mystery, with the theory being it was lying at the bottom of the Saint-Lawrence river.

On June 20, 1946, while searching for another aircraft that had been reported missing, the crew of a military search aircraft, noticed a glint of sunshine coming from a metallic object and on closer investigation saw the characteristic twin fins of a Liberator near the top of the mountain.

That same day, a search party was formed and dispatched. With no access to the site, the group had to trail-blaze its way through the forest guided by an observation plane which would nose dive to indicate the location of the wreckage. According to testimony, all passengers were killed on impact, which was confirmed by Dr. J.A. Melançon, the coroner, who reported the deaths as being accidental. The aircraft had caught fire with only some assemblies, the rear fuselage and the engines having been spared by the blaze. Of the crew and passengers, only three bodies could be identified.

At an altitude of 875 m (2,871 ft), Black Mountain is the highest point of the region of Saint-Donat. While the exact cause of the accident is still unknown, it was later discovered that its height was not correctly reported on contemporary navigation maps. Given the poor weather conditions on the night of the crash, it is very likely that the pilot noticed the mountain too late to climb.

Not very long after the discovery of the wreckage, the debris was gathered into piles. The matter of bringing the remains of the lost soldiers out from the scene for burial in Ottawa was discussed at length between military authorities, and in the end it was decided that they should remain in place due to the impossibility of identifying all of them. 

On July 3, 1946, friends and family of the crew and passengers along with many members of the RCAF and religious authorities climbed the mountain to pay their respects and hold a funeral. Three religious services were held that afternoon: Catholic, Protestant and Jewish. A plaque displaying the names of the victims was installed on the rock at the foot of which the remains were buried. For several years, the site was maintained by local men paid on a small budget given by the Canadian Armed Forces.

During the summer of 1985, the Canadian branch of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission moved the remains to the parish cemetery in Saint-Donat. There, a monument was erected to display the names of the victims along with a commemorative plaque. On June, 30 1996, 50 years after the tragedy, a service attended by veterans and locals was held at the crash site with flyovers by the Snowbirds. A funerary obelisk produced by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and dedicated to the dead was unveiled in the cemetery in Saint-Donat.

Owing to the increasing number of visits the site was getting, partly due to its fame but also because the InterCentre trail was passing through, it was decided that it had to be reorganized in a more sustainable way. In the summer of 2000, work was undertaken to build stairs and a flag pole, and install informative plaques. Crosses for each of the victims were put in place and a small cenotaph was erected. The cenotaph lists on its sides the rank and name of each deceased person and has on its front a pictograph of the ill-fated plane and the following text:

En souvenir des vingt-quatre membres de l'Aviation Royale Canadienne qui ont perdu la vie dans l'écrasement du bombardier Liberator Harry sur la Montagne Noire le 20 octobre 1943

In memory of the twenty four members of the Royal Canadian Air Force who lost their lives in the crash of the Liberator Harry bomber on Montagne Noire on 20 October 1943

On June 15, 2013, to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the accident, a ceremony was held at the site with military music and flyovers of a CF-18. In anticipation of this day and in order to make the site more accessible, the path to the monument was improved, allowing it to be reached in less than 3 hours by foot from a parking lot at the bottom of the mountain.

While this is a tragic and somber story, the hike is beautiful and the site informative, respectful, and deserving of visitation. I have done it several times and feel the emotion of those who see the crash site and memorial for the first time. It has become very popular prompting the municipality to add a second parking lot. There are several trails now in all seasons. One added feature is a tall tower that provides a 360 degree vista. The lookouts along the way are gorgeous and can be enjoyed with canine companions.

On one visit, we had three dogs, a baby, and 6 adults. It was quite the caravan and an absolute wonderful day. I hope you get a chance to experience it, if so, time it to enjoy lunch at the tower where several picnic table await.