Transwest Air DHC3 Otter crash near Ivanhoe Lk NT 22 8 2013

[lost in the north]

Condolences to family, friends, and co workers.

[flyinthebug]

Does anyone have any more information yet?

[lost in the north]

Was told not long ago the plane was found upside down, only the pilot was on board.

[flyinthebug]

Thanks lost in the north. Was the pilot killed? I cant find any information anywhere yet.

[lost in the north]

Yes

[bubba070]

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Sma ... story.html

YELLOWKNIFE - Police are trying to locate the pilot of a small plane that crashed into a remote lake in the Northwest Territories.

RCMP say the aircraft took off from Scott Lake, Sask., Thursday night and was reported overdue early Friday morning.

A Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules aircraft located the partially submerged plane near Ivanhoe Lake, but found no trace of the pilot, who was the only person on board.

An RCMP dive team is to search the lake Saturday.

Transport Canada says the plane was a DeHavilland DHC-3 Otter operated by Transwest Air.

The name of the pilot was not released.

[kevinsky18]

I flew out of Scott Lake several years ago. My sympathies to the pilot's family and everyone at the lodge.

[bizjets101]

C-FSGD (1959 build) DHC-3 http://www.transwestair.com/ http://www.dhc3otter.com/


Click Here photos from DHC3otter.com/Praeman Pillay

[GUMPS]

Thanks for the pic, that is quite a large aircraft. Underwater escape from that cockpit likely ain't simple, and looks like your head may be some 20 feet deep, upside down. Water pressure and temperature, combined with darkness and confusion, shock of water impact, assuming the pilot has not been knocked out , all combine to reduce the odds. It would be interesting to hear what the Dunker Guy has to say about escape from larger floatplanes. That American couple that died a couple months ago in their Beech 18 in Red Lake likely faced a similar challenge.

Thanks for doing your part here bizjets..
If you go over on your back in an otter you won't be 20 feet under water....Maybe if you went straight in and only the tail was out of the water, in that case you probably hit hard.. I haven't had the issue but if you're a big guy getting out of the otter or beaver front doors in a rush can be tricky.
Maybe I'm wrong and haven't caught up on the beech accident but didn't the aircraft cartwheel down the lake and come apart? I don't speculate but if I did, I'd guess they were knocked out before the aircraft sank.

[frozen solid]

Getting out of a Beech 18 cockpit when it's right side up and tied to the dock is no picnic. I can't imagine doing it upside-down under water, and I have done egress training. The Otter has a door right beside the pilot which is a pretty good shape for taking off your belt and getting out, assuming you can get it open. It also has a window that slides down, maybe that would aid in getting it open if you had the presence of mind to wait for the cockpit to flood, I don't know. The main problem, at the risk of sounding grim, is the main structural element of an Otter is the bulkhead behind the pilot. The cockpit can get smashed up pretty easily. I guess it depends on how the plane hit. I feel bad talking about this. I apologise if this kind of comment is inappropriate. I've lost friends in Otter crashes and find it all too easy to get depressed thinking about it.

[Gear Jerker]

Any new information?

[Apollo]

Unfortunately the pilot did not make it out.

Rest in peace my friend, prayers to your family and friends and everyone at transwest.

[lost in the north]

Was told today that the pilot is still trapped in the airplane which is nosed into the muck, waiting for more equipment.

[Bobby868]

Has the pilots name been released yet?

[JLA]

Yeah Young fellow from QC.... Condoléances à la famille...

[Level@3000]

So relieved they recovered his body, rest in peace young man

[lost in the north]

talk around LaRonge is the pilot hit trees on a previous trip.....not sure if this is true

[frozen solid]

...but why not post it anyway.

[GUMPS]

If that's something being mentioned out of their home base why not post it on here? He said he doesn't know if it's true or not so take it for what it is. A speculation. A theory. A rumor. Maybe it'll be what causes someone here to confirm or explain why that's the talk. I'm sure I'm not the only otter guy here wondering why there's an otter nose first in a lake?

[Just another canuck]

From what I would consider to be a reliable source... the aircraft hit trees with pax on board while "flying low". After dropping the pax at the lodge, the inspection revealed substantial damage to the wing. The pilot then elected to fly the plane back to base, much to everyone's surprise. What exactly happened after that, who knows... a structural failure of some sort is my guess, but the end result was a high speed impact in low water.

Very sad ending to a short lived career. Condolences to the friends and family.