Kuujjuarapik (Poste-de-la-Baleine)

The two pilots were transporting Hydro-Québec employees in the aircraft to allow them to check electrical facilities in several villages along the Hudson Bay coast. The aircraft departed
Kuujjuarapik, Quebec, at about 1444 eastern standard time (EST) on a flight to Umiujaq, Quebec, a distance of 86 nautical miles (nm) to the north. The pilot-in-command was flying the aircraft. After the take-off from Kuujjuarapik, the crew contacted the Kuujjuarapik Flight Service Station (FSS) to file a flight notification and request weather information. The crew received three weather reports for Umiujaq from that FSS. The flight was conducted at an altitude of 5,000 feet on an outbound track of 045 degrees from the Kuujjuarapik non-directional beacon (NDB). Thirty miles from Umiujaq, the crew commenced the descent. Seven miles from the village, the aircraft was at an altitude of 700 feet and the crew could see the ground. The crew used a global positioning system (GPS) waypoint to supplement visual navigation (before reaching a downwind position), and continued their step-down procedure to about 200 feet above ground level (agl) on a heading of 25 degrees magnetic (°M). At that altitude, the visibility was reported by the crew to be over one and one-half miles and the crew could recognize references on the ground and position the aircraft for landing. When turning onto the final approach to runway 21, the pilot-in-command initiated a turn with at least 35 degrees of bank angle, and the aircraft stalled. The pilot-in-command initiated a stall recovery and called for full power. The aircraft did not gain sufficient altitude to overfly the rising terrain, and it crashed. The two crew members and two of the passengers sustained minor injuries. They were given first aid treatment at the accident site by other passengers.

The single engine airplane was completing a forest fire survey flight from Lac-à-l’Eau-Claire to Poste-de-la-Baleine (Kuujjuarapik). While flying at low height, the right float struck tree tops. The pilot apparently attempted to make a corrective manoeuvre when the airplane banked left then descended into trees and crashed, bursting into flames. The aircraft was destroyed and both occupants were killed.

En route to Kuujjuarapik Airport (Poste-de-la-Baleine), about 25 miles from the destination, the pilot informed ATC about the deterioration of the weather conditions with low clouds and rain showers. Because he could see intermittently the airport, he decided to continue the approach. On short final, the airplane struck the ground and crashed about 300 feet short of runway threshold. The pilot, sole on board, was killed. The flight was completed on behalf of Brochu Industries.

Shortly after takeoff from Kuujjuarapik Airport, a propeller oversped and the crew was unable to feather it. The captain decided to return for an emergency landing but on descent, a unsafe gear indication forced him to 'delay' the landing and to overshoot. Due to insufficient speed, the airplane stalled, struck trees and crashed in a wooded area located near Kuujjuarapik. All 16 occupants were evacuated while the aircraft was destroyed.

The aircraft, owned by the Photographic Survey Corporation Limited, departed Great Whale River at approximately 0915 hours eastern standard time on a non-scheduled flight to Val d'Or, with the pilot, a maintenance engineer and two passengers aboard. An instrument flight plan was filed prior to departure, and the aircraft was to fly at 7 000 ft direct to Val d'Or, the estimated time of arrival being 1200 hours. Following take-off CF-CRL climbed on a magnetic heading of 185° on instruments, and the pilot was requested to report passing through 7 000 ft and to continue the climb to 9 000 ft. After passing routine messages, in which the freezing level of 10 000 ft was included, the pilot reported at 0928 hours that he was visual at 10 000 ft and that he would maintain this altitude to Val d'Or. At 0930 he stated he would maintain 1 000 ft on top of the overcast, i.e. 11 000 ft. At 0957 the pilot requested a radio check, and Great Whale River informed him that his transmission was weak. The pilot acknowledged this message which was the last transmission received from him. At 1600 hours the RCAF Search and Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Trenton, Ontario was notified that the aircraft was overdue, and a search was begun. The wreckage was found on 25 July, 36 miles from Rupert House, P. Q., on a bearing of 153° True. All four occupants had been killed in the crash, and the aircraft was destroyed.