Date & Time:
Aug 15, 1933 at 2024 LT
Type of aircraft:
Fairchild 71
Operator:
Wells Air Transport
Registration:
CF-AJP
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Vancouver – Bridge River
MSN:
651
YOM:
1929
Country:
Canada
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
0
Pax on board:
5
Pax fatalities:
3
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
En route from Vancouver to Bridge River, the pilot encountered poor visibility while flying at night. Too low, the airplane impacted the surface of Lake Anderson and crashed. Three passengers were killed and three other occupants were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.
Probable cause:
It was determined that the pilot departed Vancouver too late with only 20 minutes of daylight remaining while the flight to Bridge River should take one hour and 15 minutes. Any flights above mountainous area after dark were prohibited and the pilot failed to follow this procedure.
