Ambulance

The twin engine aircraft departed Sanikiluaq Airport on an ambulance flight to Churchill, MB. In unknown circumstances, it crashed on Belcher Island, about 45 km southeast of Sanikiluaq Airport. Both pilots and the medevac passenger were killed.

The Twin Otter departed Goose Bay on a medical evacuation flight to St. Anthony. The flight was uneventful and landed in St. Anthony at 15:24. At 16:02, the aircraft departed St. Anthony on a VFR flight back to Goose Bay. On board were the two pilots and the doctor and nurse. Approaching the Goose Bay Airport, weather became marginal, but the crew continued visual flight. The crew likely encountered near zero forward visibility in snow showers and fog; it is probable that they were able to maintain vertical contact with the ground and were confident they could continue flight with visual reference to the ground. The crew may not have been able to see terrain ahead and therefore may not have been able to determine if the aircraft would clear the hills, particularly, when steep hills were encountered. The plane struck a rock outcropping 100 feet below the summit of a 2,050-foot mountain. After bouncing twice, the Twin Otter had come to rest in a small, wooded gully, approximately 350 feet from the initial point of impact.

After takeoff from San Martín-Chapelco-Aviador Carlos Campos Airport runway 06, while climbing to a height of 150 feet, the aircraft lost height and crashed near the Río Quilquihué, about 5 km east of the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed and all seven occupants, en route to Neuquén on an ambulance flight, were killed. For unknown reasons, the captain decided to takeoff with only one engine (the right engine) operative.

The aircraft was chartered by a local hospital in Kyzyl to transfer to Toora-Khem 12 passengers (two patients, four accompanists and a medical team of six crew) and two pilots. After takeoff, the crew was cleared to climb to an altitude of 2,300 meters bound to the north. At 1245LT, the crew reported his position over the mountains and informed ATC about the next point of report. Shortly later, the crew decided to modify his route and to follow a shorter route when weather conditions worsened with poor visibility due to snow falls. While cruising at an altitude of 2,330 meters, the single engine airplane struck a rocky wall of 2,466 meters high. As the airplane failed to arrive at destination, SAR operations were initiated but the wreckage was found five days later, on November 6, about 76 km north of Kyzyl. The aircraft disintegrated on impact and all 14 occupants were killed.

The single engine airplane was engaged in an ambulance flight, carrying one pilot and one patient on a stretcher. Enroute, weather conditions deteriorated and the pilot encountered low ceiling and fog. He decided to reduce his altitude and attempted to land off Port Hardy. While taxiing in rough water, the nose compartments of the floats filled with water and the aircraft nosed over inverted. The patient drowned before she could be released from the stretcher while the pilot survived.

The twin engine airplane departed Carnarvon on an ambulance flight to Mount Augustus to evacuate a sick child. On board were one nurse and one pilot. The approach to Mount Augustus was initiated in limited visibility due to a moonless night and six vehicles were dispatched on the ground with lights on. While turning on final, the airplane was too low, struck trees and crashed. Both occupants were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.

The pilot acted as a relief pilot for the Eastern Goldfields Section of the Royal Flying Doctor Service based in Kalgoorlie. On 30 April 1981 he had been rostered as the duty pilot from 1100 hours to 1700 hours. He was advised by the chief pilot soon after 1100 hours that a flight to Jameson and return was required. The flight was planned to include a refuelling stop at Warburton en-route to Jameson. The pilot expressed concern that the flight might not be completed in daylight, but after discussing the problem with the chief pilot, it was concluded that the flight should return to Kalgoorlie about ten minutes before last light. The aircraft subsequently departed Kalgoorlie at 1221 hours, and the flight proceeded uneventfully. However, delays en-route and in refuelling resulted in the aircraft not departing Jameson until 1609 hours. Based on the flight plan time intervals, the expected arrival time at Kalgoorlie was 1844 hours which was an hour after last light. The pilot did not hold the necessary qualification allowing him to operate a multiengined aircraft at night, although he held such a rating for single-engined aircraft. He elected to proceed as planned, and declared the last section of the flight a Mercy Flight. At 1828 hours, when 55 km from Kalgoorlie, the pilot contacted Kalgoorlie Flight Service Unit and received details of the weather, as recorded thirty minutes earlier. This information included an observation of lightning to the west-south-west and a line of thunderstorms from north-west to south of the aerodrome. At 1840 hours, when about 13 km from Kalgoorlie he advised that he would use runway 28. No further communication was heard from the aircraft. Witnesses at Boulder, 4 km east of Kalgoorlie, subsequently reported that a severe squall entered the area shortly before the aircraft was seen turning on to final approach for the runway. The strong wind had generated dust clouds and the aircraft was seen to enter one of these, whilst executing a number of sudden attitude changes. It then collided with a mineshaft headframe. The left wing was torn from the aircraft which then crashed to the ground nearby. A passenger was seriously injured while four other occupants were killed.

Dr. Pierre Bornais located at Fort George, Quebec, received a call at 1430LT and was informed that two children aged 4 and 9 have high fever and must be transferred as quick as possible to an hospital at Fort George. A De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver operated by Air Fecteau was chartered to transfer the boys who were leaving on Comb Island. The single engine airplane was carrying both children, their grandparents, a nurse and a pilot. While taking off in marginal weather conditions, the airplane struck a wave with its tail and crashed in the Baie James, between Wemindji and Fort George. The aircraft sank and all six occupants were killed. At 1700LT, SAR teams were dispatched on site and the pilot body was found. All five other bodies were recovered a day later. The wreckage was recovered and later transferred.
Crew:
André Sigouin, pilot, aged 23.
Passengers:
Céliane Bernard, nurse, aged 23,
Jenny Kanatewat aged 4,
Bryan Kanatewat aged 9,
Albert Kanatewat aged 55,
Lucie Kanatewat aged 54.

The twin engine airplane departed Tepic Airport on an ambulance flight to Guadalajara, carrying 10 patients, one nurse and two pilots on behalf of the Mexican Institute for Social Security (Instituto Mexicano de Seguridad Social). About three minutes after takeoff, the airplane crashed in unknown circumstances on a hill located few km from the airport. All 13 occupants were killed.

The twin engine airplane was completing an ambulance flight from Sofia to Haskovo when it crashed in the Rila Mountain range located near Samokov. All four occupants were killed.