Fatal Labrador Islander Crash *updated*

[Max_Power]

This morning an Islander crashed on approach near Port Hope Simpson, Labrador.
Unfortunately the pilot, who was the lone occupant, was fatally injured.

The medevac flight was operated by Strait Air and was landing in Port Hope Simpson to pick up a patient to transport to St. Anthony, NL (CYAY).


http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/amb ... story.html
http://www.metronews.ca/halifax/canada/ ... n-labrador

My thoughts are with his family.

Max_Power

[mabcan]

Pilot dies in small plane crash
By THE CANADIAN PRESS

PORT HOPE SIMPSON, N.L. - The pilot of a small, twin-engine plane was killed Sunday when the aircraft crashed in southeastern Labrador, about eight kilometres short of its destination.

The unidentified pilot was the only person aboard, said an official with the rescue co-ordination centre in Halifax.

Lt. Al Blondin said the Britten Norman aircraft was en route from Forteau to Port Hope Simpson when it went down at 8:30 a.m. local time.

A plume of smoke was spotted west of Port Hope Simpson soon after the plane was reported missing, he said.

Port Hope Simpson is about 200 kilometres north of Forteau.

A team of Canadian Rangers, a CC130 Hercules aircraft from Greenwood, N.S., and a CH147 Griffon helicopter from Goose Bay, N.L., were dispatched to the scene.

"A search and rescue team from the Griffon helicopter was hoisted down to the site and confirmed the aircraft as the missing plane," Blondin said. "The pilot was also discovered."

Blondin said the pilot's body was taken to Goose Bay in central Labrador.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009 ... 91-cp.html


My thoughts for the family.

[Widow]

My most heartfelt sympathies to any and all affected.

[Max_Power]

Current Information, directly from the Official Canadian Civil Aircraft Register database.

Aircraft Information

Mark: C-FJJR
Common Name: Britten Norman
Model Name: BN.2A-27
Serial No: 424
Manufacturer: Britten-Norman (Bembridge) Ltd.
Country of manufacture: UNITED KINGDOM
Year of Manufacture: 1975
Last Registered Owner Information
Name: Strait Air (2000) Ltd.

[Max_Power]

Fog cited in fatal Labrador medical crash
Last Updated: Monday, June 8, 2009 | 7:03 AM NT CBC News

Fog may have played a role in a crash in which a pilot was killed minutes before he was to land in a Labrador community to pick up an ailing passenger.

The twin-engine Britten Norman Islander crashed into a hillside about six kilometres outside of Port Hope Simpson, on Labrador's south coast. The area was blanketed in fog at the time.

The pilot was the only person on board at the time. He was heading to the community to pick up a patient waiting for emergency transport to the hospital in St. Anthony, on Newfoundland's Northern Peninsula.

Lt. Al Blondin, who works with the military search and rescue co-ordination centre in Halifax, said just as ground crews lost contact with the airplane, people in the community noticed something.

"As visibility improved, from Port Hope they were actually able to see a plume of smoke in the distance," he said.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada will be investigating the case.

Canadian Rangers hiked several kilometres to reach the site. A military helicopter arrived on the scene and took the body of the pilot to Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Labrador-Grenfell Health, the authority that had chartered the plane, arranged for another plane to come for the patient in Port Hope Simpson.

The plane was owned by Strait Air, which is based out of L'Anse au Clair. The owner said the pilot, 43, had been with the company for two years, but had about 15 years of flying experience.

Labrador-Grenfell Health chief executive officer Boyd Rowe said it is not unusual for the authority to use outside companies to provide medical evacuation.

"We've made arrangements with that particular company a number of times," he said.

"This particular aircraft, as far as we know, was equipped with the appropriate medevac equipment to deal with this particular case."

The aircraft wreckage is being secured until TSB officials can arrive in Port Hope Simpson.


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-l ... h-608.html


Max_Power

[Moon The Loon]

I just learned the pilot was a highly experienced Labradorian flyer and a very close friend of a new colleague. The pilot had 20+ years experience flying this coast and was considered an "expert".

The Good continue to die young.

RIP, young fella...

[pelmet]

http://tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/a ... 9a0036.pdf

[cdnpilot77]

Pelmet, I appreciate the link to the tsb report however, this is a perfect example of how a new thread can be started and linked to the old one so not to scare the shit out of people that have friends flying in the local area mentioned in the crash when reading the headline.

[ZBBYLW]

Jesus this scared me. Perhaps it would be best to have a new thread created stating: Dec 1st 2005 Caravan Crash TSB report. Have a link to the report but then also to the previous thread.

[Redneck_pilot86]

Is it really that hard to read the date on a post? Its right there in the top right corner.

[cdnpilot77]

Not when you just see the headline and only the date of the last post...but then once you open yes...haven't you ever had slow Internet?? That what I had today...saw the headline heart jumped, clicked on the post and was a good minute before it opened. If you dont have the ability to change the title to add "update" or something, just start a new thread with a link to this one, save some people from momentary shock, is that really that hard?

[HO Driver]

This is a sad report to read. It sounds like it was very preventable too, just some poor decisions were made.(IMHO) It's an eye opener for us all, that even a 13,000+ hour veteran pilot can make mistakes. Never let your guard down!

[snoopy]

Thank you Pelmet - your efforts are appreciated!
Cheers,
Kirsten B.

[cncpc]

Thank you Pelmet - your efforts are appreciated!
Cheers,
Kirsten B.

+1.