Canada

The pilot encountered technical problems and decided to attempt an emergency landing in Quesnel. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair while the pilot, sole on board, was uninjured.

After takeoff from Otter Lake, SK, while in initial climb, the single engine airplane initiated a left turn then a right turn. It rolled left and right then pitched down and crashed in a wooded area. The aircraft was destroyed and all six occupants were killed.

Flight 106 was a schedule service from Vancouver to Powell River with an intermediate stop at Sechelt. The flight to Sechelt was uneventful. While approaching Porpoise Bay at Sechelt, at an altitude of 200 feet, the twin engine airplane rolled to the right in an angle of 90° then nosed down and crashed on the east shore of the bay, about 50 meters from the water. The captain and a passenger were killed while 14 other occupants were injured, four of them seriously.

En route from Comox to Port Hardy, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to thick fog. The twin engine airplane struck tree tops and crashed on hilly terrain located in Blinkhorn Point, Victoria Island. Four passengers were killed while five other occupants were injured.

The aircraft, with pilot and five passengers on board was being flown from Shoal Harbour to Campbell River. The flight was the scheduled service operated daily from Campbell River with several stops along the coast and returning to Campbell River. On arrival at Shoal Harbour dock area, the aircraft was docked and one passenger got on board. The aircraft taxied out for departure. The take-off was from the harbour in a south easterly direction. Shortly after the lift-off from the water, and at a height of 100 feet, the aircraft made a 180° turn to the left and dived into the ground at an angle of 30°. The crash site was just inside the tree line and approximately 50 feet from the water’s edge. The plane exploded on impact and burned. One passenger walked out from the wreckage seconds after the crash but died in hospital at Vancouver the same day. There were therefore no survivors.

The aircraft had deployed to Schefferville to support the annual caribou hunt with a second aircraft, a Cessna 180 registered C-FHWR. Both aircraft were equipped with floats and were on converging courses towards the same seaplane base at Squaw Lake. The Cessna overtook and passed the Otter on the right and then crossed in front to establish a right hand circuit to the lake. The pilot of the Cessna had transmitted his landing intentions, which were interpreted by the Otter pilot to mean a bay in front of the company's base. Consequently, as the Cessna proceeded out of view to the left, the Otter pilot concentrated on his own approach to the lake. The Cessna however had turned to the right and was also making an approach to the same landing area - the two aircraft were again on converging courses. Some four to five seconds after the Cessna had landed, the left float of the Otter struck the Cessna's right wing and cowling. The Otter continued another 200 feet before touching down and as it did it overturned and sank because the left float and strut collapsed. Five of the eight people aboard the Otter perished in the crash. The right wing and cowling of the Cessna were damaged, but the aircraft stayed afloat with no injuries to pilot or passengers. While on final approach, the pilot of the Cessna saw the Otter to the right and slightly behind him and assumed it was on an approach parallel to him. The pilot of the Otter did not see the Cessna at any time during the approach.
(Courtesy of Karl E. Hayes).

The seaplane crashed in unknown circumstances in Prince Rupert. Three occupants were rescued while seven others were killed.

The airplane was being used for a series of flights between Frobisher (YFB) and Brevoort Island, a distance of 119 nm. These flights were conducted under visual flight rules (VFR) with a Flight Notification filed at Frobisher. Two return flights were accomplished without incident and the aircraft was flown back to Brevoort for another round trip. On the final flight the aircraft, with the same two pilots and with seven passengers, left Brevoort at 21:57 hours local time enroute to Frobisher. The pilots contacted Frobisher Flight Service Station (FSS) at 22:31 reporting at 6000 feet altitude estimating Frobisher in 15 minutes. Upon receiving the latest weather indicating conditions below VFR limits, they requested clearance for "Special VFR". This clearance was granted. Another weather report was transmitted by the Frobisher FSS giving the 22:44 observation in which the ceiling had lowered to 400 ft with the visibility at 8 miles and the wind from 190 deg M at 22 knots. The pilot stated they would make a front course ILS approach to runway 36 with a landing on 18. At 22:58 they were issued a clearance for an ILS approach. They subsequently reported outbound at procedure turn altitude and at that time confirmed their planned approach for runway 36 with circling for 18. This was the last radio transmission from C-GROW. The Twin Otter was seen flying north along the runway. It then struck high ground about 1200 feet east of the runway and about 100 feet above runway level. The aircraft was destroyed and all nine occupants were killed.

The aircraft was loaded with two rubber cargo bladders, filled with 1600 Imp gallons of aviation gasoline. The aircraft was parked overnight, until at 05:40 the 2 crew members arrived to perform the pre-departure checks. A smell of Avgas fumes was detectable, but not stronger than on similar trips. The engines were started, and when the no. 1 engine reached idle rpm, the crew proceeded with after-start checks. When both alternators and the left generator were turned on, a violent explosion occurred in the cabin. The nose gear collapsed and the rear airstair was blown off. Both pilots managed to escape before a fierce fire consumed the aircraft.

While completing a crop spraying mission, the crew encountered technical problems and decided to divert to Rivière-du-Loup Airport for an emergency landing. After touchdown, the airplane was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran, lost its undercarriage and came to rest few dozen meters further. All four crew members escaped uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.