The Convent Crash, also known as the Orléans air disaster and Villa St. Louis disaster, occurred on May 15, 1956 after a CF-100 fighter jet crashed into the Villa St. Louis in the community of Orléans, Ontario. 15 people were killed in the crash including 11 members of the Grey Nuns.
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At 10:37 p.m. May 15, 1956 two CF-100s were launched from their base at RCAF Station Uplands (located south of Ottawa) to identify an unknown aircraft heading towards Montréal. The plane was identified as a RCAF North Star flying from Resolute Bay to Dorval Airport. The two planes climbed to 33,000 feet to practice interception techniques and burn off excess fuel before returning to base.
One of the aircraft returned to base, but the other remained airborne longer to burn off more excess fuel. However, something malfunctioned on the plane. One story is that the oxygen masks of the two crewmen malfunctioned and the men lost consciousness, though the cause has never been officially determined. The plane descended at a speed of nearly 680mph and crashed into the Villa St. Louis.
At the time the plane crashed many of the occupants of the building were asleep. The three storey, seventy room building was run by the Grey Nuns. The two crewmen of the plane were killed instantly upon impact with the building. Then the fuel of the plane ignited and a fire ensued. Some of the occupants of the building jumped from windows. Others remained trapped in the building frantically trying to open windows. Victims unable to escape their rooms died of smoke inhalation. The fire was extinguished in the early hours of the next day. Of the 15 dead, 13 were members of the convent.[1]