Keystone Navajo Accident in Thompson

[Cap'n Tripps]

Everyone aboard taken to hospital. Hope everyone ends up ok.

http://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/eight-people ... -1.2565302

[AWOS]

Eight people have been injured after the plane they were in crashed near Thompson, Man., on Tuesday evening.

The federal Transportation Safety Board has confirmed that a Piper PA-31 Navajo aircraft, operated by Keystone Air Service, crashed shortly after takeoff from the northern Manitoba city's airport.

A TSB spokesperson said the flight crew reported having problems not long after departing. The two pilots tried to turn back toward the airport, but the aircraft crashed just over three kilometres away.

An RCMP spokesperson told CBC News the plane crashed into some trees on approach to the airport, near the Burntwood River, at around 7 p.m. CT.

Emergency crews went to the scene, but no major injuries were reported, according to police.

The Transportation Safety Board said in addition to the two pilots, six passengers were on board the flight. They were all transported to hospitals with varying injuries.

The safety board will be sending a crew to Thompson to investigate the crash.

Thompson is about 650 kilometres by air north of Winnipeg, and the airport is located just north of the community.

http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/manito ... /1.3229974

[FighterPilot]

Was through YTH today, weather had been garbage all day. Wishing everyone a speedy recovery. Unfortunately I see LifeFlight has been dispatched to YTH.

[grimey]

Hope everyone comes out ok. Did they run out of gas again?

[Gear Jerker]

Fawwwkkk! Praying for a speedy recovery for everyone onboard.

[cdnpilot77]

When is enough, enough? How long will this be allowed to continue?

Hoping for a speedy recovery for the people on board.

[ZBBYLW]

At some point TC should be held liable for these accidents. How many people have to get injured or killed in separate accidents by one company until something gets done.

[CID]

This will continue until TC shuts them down for good and/or people stop using them. There are very few airlines in Canada that I absolutely refuse to fly and strongly recommend my friends and family avoid. This is one of them. Some will say those are strong words to wield before knowing the cause of this accident. Fine. My mind was made up long before this newest pile of bent aluminum was created.

[J31]

I wonder how this is going to affect their rating? Maybe it is the Navajo.....5 crashes in 15 years!

Jan 28, 2015

Keystone Receives Argus Gold Safety Rating

Keystone Air Service Ltd. is proud to share some exciting news with clients, Manitobans and Canadians! Keystone Air Service Ltd. has received Manitoba's only Argus Gold Safety Rating for air charter operators and is one of only ten Argus approved companies in Canada. To understand more click here.

ARGUS extracts, filters, and vets data on charter operators around the world through the CHEQ Program. To score the gathered data, ARGUS uses a proprietary algorithm that has formed the foundation of the only rating system in the charter marketplace. This scoring system, that is the backbone of CHEQ, provides charter buyers with an independent, third-party, factually-based rating on an operator’s actual safety history.

The ARGUS CHEQ (Charter Evaluation and Qualification) program was developed over a decade ago as the most accurate and detailed third-party due diligence system for charter operators, buyers and passengers around the world.

The ARGUS CHEQ Report provides charter customers with:

· Complete, in depth safety reports on your charter operators
· Instantly access pilots' experience and historical safety ratings
· Primary source for your due-diligence

Instantly search:

· Aircraft Registration
· Operator Certificates
· Accident and Incident Report
· Enforcement Actions
· Ownership and Management

Argus has partnered with the following online marketplaces to show Keystone Air Service as an Argus Gold Rated charter company:

Air Charter Guide
Avinode
Charterly
Jet Charters
JetVizor
Fly Ruby

[razorblade]

Wrong type of gas this time, I'm told. But its Keystone, are we really that surprised?

[ZBBYLW]

What a joke that rating system must be. I no longer fly around Manitoba and NWO but when I did Keystone was still doing the same dumb stunts they always did... Would be interesting if TC ever ramped them with a weight scale.

[flyinhigh]

The problem with the ARGUS awards is that they mean absolutely NOTHING.

The company fills in a survey, sends in some cash and than receives a piece of paper with sparkles saying there safe.

Which we all know is not the case.

[Ricktye]

Does Keystone provide their own fuel in YTH or is it provided by the airport facility? Curious from your statement stating wrong fuel and one operator.....

Thanks

Wrong type of gas this time, I'm told. But its Keystone, are we really that surprised?

[rigpiggy]

Kind of like SMS

[ski_bum]

It's very sad these guys can still operate... Again don't know the details on this one and don't want to speculate but how many accidents/incidents can one company have, under the same management and still continue to run.

Thoughts to those onboard, hope for a speedy recovery.

[ski_bum]

I flew a Cheyenne that accidentally got filled with avgas as the fueler thought it was a Navajo and it was a common mistake that we had to watch very carefully. Luckily that situation is no big deal really...

also flew a dc3 that got filled with jet fuel, that was a long process to empty and clean...

Moral of the story, watch the operation and always check your fuel slip/uplift to make sure it's correct and makes sense!

[Jack In The Box]

Early speculation I am hearing is that there was some kind of engine issue and the aircraft had to turn around on departure to try and land. Obviously it didn't make it. Press reporting Icing apparently as a factor though I do not know what the temperature was. I'll save my judgement on that one.

I used to work at Keystone. I know they derate their engines by 4" of manifold pressure to save TBOH. I never flew a Navajo (or any aircraft there, praise the lord) but I have talked to many Navajo pilots there. All of them say that if they lost an engine they would not be able to hold any altitude and would be in a controlled descent until they hit the ground.

Combine that with standard keystone practice of grossly underestimating the weight of the aircrafts contents and stellar maintenance record and I am not surprised. No offense to the people working there but I really really hope this is the end of that company. Fortunately everyone was okay, but as far as the company and Cliff goes he/they are getting the damn failure they so richly deserve. I hope this crash wipes out every bit of profit they have ever made by detecting those engines.

[Meatservo]

Do you mean "derate" as in drawing a new, lower red line on the gauge, or do you mean they somehow modify them so they can't make it to full MP? If it's the latter, is it done with manufacturer approval or an STC?

[SnotRocket]

Wrong type of gas this time, I'm told. But its Keystone, are we really that surprised?

When flying Pistons always check the sticker on the fuel truck.

[Duukar]

What you see and read in the news is just the tip of the iceberg with these guys. Do you know how much goes unreported? Truly one of the worst companies in Canada. I can't understand how people continue to use them after so many accidents and incidents. Five crashes with six fatalities and counting. Something has to be done!

[Illya Kuryakin]

Oh Boy
Navajos are as common as rats in the north these days. Is it really too much to ask for refeulers to be trained in, at least the basics.
Obviously, the buck stops with the crew, but really? Very lucky nobody died here. If it was jet fuel, I'm sure the grand wizards at theTSB would have sat on it for 24 months. At least it's out there for a lesson to be learned.
Good job (no, really) of keeping their heads and at least landing in a survivable manner.
Sometimes you have to have at least the assumption that the people fueling you brought the correct truck. Circumstances can conspire against you, and the opportunity to wipe everybody's ass does not always present itself. Nobody candidate everything themselves, and this needs to be kept in mind when looking at what happened here.
This could catch many of us out.
EDUCATE. EDUCATE. EDUCATE!!
Illya

[upintheair_]

My company bought one of Keystone's old Navajos. Plane flies fine, I've probably got 50 hours in in already. It has been torn apart by our guys and inspected, all was well more or less... But the thing that made me laugh when it showed up was they had this bent sheet metal jobber that was bolted on to cover the fuel gauges from passenger view. Fitting for Keystone given their history.

Hope everyone makes a quick recovery.

[jschnurr]

I was in YTH with a navajo for fuel sometime last year. Told the Esso guy to "fill 'er up with Avgas". As I'm making my way to Robin's for a stale donut, I happened to notice the fueler jump into the JetA truck and drive away. I figured he had to service another aircraft before mine, but my spidey sense make me go check on things. Sure enough, he had parked in front of my aircraft, and by time I hurried over to stop him, he had the grounding cable connected and was ready to unwind the hose. I told him that I needed Avgas not JetA, and he went back for the correct truck.

I'm glad it wasn't me in the news today, but in all honesty it very well could have been. Stay vigilant out there.

[SnotRocket]

I think thats 4 Navajo's they've destroyed there now. 3 relating to fuel issues. Probably just a coincidence.

[Jack In The Box]

Do you mean "derate" as in drawing a new, lower red line on the gauge, or do you mean they somehow modify them so they can't make it to full MP? If it's the latter, is it done with manufacturer approval or an STC?

I mean that they limit it below max MP.

As it so happens it seems like the airplane was filled with jet A instead of Avgas. Which makes it fueled and pilot error.