De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver

The commercial certificated pilot, with four passengers, departed for a remote lodge on an on-demand air taxi flight in an amphibious float-equipped airplane. The airplane was the second of two company airplanes to depart for the lodge. The route of flight would have transited around the north end, from the west side to the east side of a large island. The first company airplane completed the flight, but the accident airplane did not arrive at the lodge, and was reported overdue. Throughout the morning, before the accident flight, the pilot received two telephonic weather briefings from the local FAA flight service station, which included an AIRMET for mountain obscuration, and two pilot reports from the first pilot. In addition, the pilot visited the FSS for another weather briefing. The weather conditions along the route of flight had reported visibilities as low as 2 miles, and ceilings as low as 200 feet due to rain and mist, and wind of 35 to 40 knots. The area of the accident flight is characterized by steep mountainous island terrain, numerous ocean channels, and an extensive shoreline, containing small coves and bays. The area frequently has low ceilings and reduced visibility due to rain, fog, and mist. The island is one of several barrier islands between the north Pacific Ocean and mainland Alaska. The western coastal portion of the island is exposed to open ocean. The eastern coastal portion of the island is adjacent to a wide strait, which separates the island from several inner islands. The area of operations for the accident airplane has no low-level radar coverage, intermittent radio communications, and limited weather reporting capability. The company's operations manual states that aircraft may not be released for a flight at any location unless there is agreement about the parameters of the flight with the pilot-in-command, and any of the following: Director of operations; chief pilot; or trained individuals granted the authority by the director of operations. The airplane has been declared missing, and is presumed to have crashed; the occupants are presumed to have received fatal injuries.

The pilot and sole occupant of the DHC-2 seaplane, registration C-GJST, serial number 1368, was on his first flight of the season on the Ottawa River at Gatineau, Quebec. This training flight, conducted according to visual flight rules, was to consist of about 12 touch-and-go landings. The aircraft took off at approximately 1300 eastern daylight time, and made several upwind touch-and-go landings in a westerly direction. At approximately 1340 eastern daylight time, the aircraft was seen about 50 feet above the surface of the water proceeding downwind in an easterly
direction, in a nose-down attitude of over 20 degrees. The right float then struck the water and the aircraft tumbled several times, breaking up on impact. Despite the waves and gusting wind on the river, some riverside residents who witnessed the accident attempted a rescue, but the aircraft sank before they could reach it. Even though the pilot was wearing a seat-belt, he sustained head injuries at impact and drowned.

Pickerel Arm Camps is located about 22 km south of Sioux Lookout, Ontario. It operates a main campsite at its water base and several remote fishing lodges. The company operates two float equipped de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver aircraft to fly guests and supplies to their remote sites. Seven guests of the company arrived at the water base on 18 May 2004, the day before their scheduled four-day fishing trip at Fawcett Lake, one of the remote lodges. Because the remote lodge was available, a decision was made to fly in that afternoon. The group was divided in two, and a group of three guests and all the supplies for the seven guests were to go in the first aircraft. The second group of four, with their personal baggage, was to follow in the company’s other Beaver. The occurrence aircraft, a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver (C-GQHT, serial number 682) with one pilot and three camp guests on board, departed the company water base at approximately 1700 eastern daylight time on a day visual flight rules flight to Fawcett Lake. At approximately 1930, the pilot and the other four guests arrived in the second aircraft to discover that the first group had not arrived. The guests later found the accident aircraft overturned in the lake. Ontario Provincial Police divers recovered the bodies of the pilot and the three passengers. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. There was no fire.

During an on-demand air taxi flight, the airline transport certificated pilot was preparing to land an amphibious float-equipped airplane near a cabin that was located on the shore of a coastal bay. A 10 to 15 knot wind was blowing from the bay toward the land, and the pilot decided to approach over land. As the airplane descended over a small creek bed, adjacent to a hill, the airplane encountered a downdraft, and descended rapidly. The left wing collided with alder trees which spun the airplane 180 degrees. The right wing and float assembly were torn off the airplane. The closest official weather observation station, located 30 miles away, was reporting calm wind.

The aircraft left Nanaimo, British Columbia, and landed at Penticton Airport at 1232 Pacific daylight time (PDT). The aircraft was fueled with 184 litres of fuel, filling all three belly tanks. At this time, the rear portion of the aircraft cabin was observed to be loaded with luggage and cargo. The pilot/aircraft owner was planning his flight to Calgary (Springbank), Alberta, and spent at least an hour flight planning and talking with the Kamloops Flight Information Centre by telephone. He had some difficulty determining a route to fly to Springbank, because of airspace restrictions due to forest fires, but decided on a routing of Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon, Revelstoke, and Springbank. The aircraft took off from Penticton Airport at 1420 PDT, with the pilot and two passengers on board and crashed approximately seven minutes later in a ravine of Penticton Creek, 11 nautical miles northeast of Penticton Airport. A post-impact fire broke out and consumed most of the fuselage area. The fire caused a small forest fire, seen by a firefighting aircraft crew. There were no radio calls from the occurrence aircraft, and the three occupants were fatally injured.

The single engine aircraft departed Pelican Narrows with two passengers and one pilot on board. While approaching Sully Lake, the engine lost power. The aircraft lost height and crashed in Sully Lake. Both passengers exited the cabin and were seriously injured while the pilot was killed. They spent a night on the shore and were rescued and evacuated to hospital a day later.

The float-equipped airplane was in the traffic pattern to land at a seaplane base when the engine lost all power, and the pilot made an emergency landing in the backyard of a private residence. During the forced landing, the airplane struck trees and a railing on the deck of the residence, sustaining structural damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that he had the right wing fuel tank selected, and thought the tank was about 1/4 full. He indicated that when the engine lost power, he was too low and didn't have sufficient time or altitude to switch to the belly tank and restore power. Postaccident draining of the fuel tanks disclosed about 18 gallons of fuel in the belly tank, and about one quart in the right wing tank.

The airline transport certificated pilot departed from a paved runway for a short flight to a remote lake in an amphibious float-equipped airplane to deliver supplies to a client. The pilot reported that he was transporting several loads of equipment to the lake, and failed to visually check the gear position while looking for a new unloading area. He also indicated that he was distracted when he had to reset the flaps, and by a minor malfunction with the airplane's GPS receiver. He said he forgot to raise the landing gear wheels, and landed on the lake with the wheels extended. During the landing touchdown on the lake, the airplane nosed over and received damage to the left wing and fuselage. The airplane is equipped with floats that have landing gear position lights installed on the instrument panel. The airplane also has a mirror enabling the pilot to visually observe the landing gear position.