Crash of a Piper PA-31-325 Navajo C/R near Kangiqsujuaq: 4 killed
Date & Time:
May 30, 1996 at 0804 LT
Registration:
C-GRPM
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Kangiqsujuaq – Kuujjuaq
MSN:
31-8012021
YOM:
1980
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
3
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The Piper Navajo PA-31 (serial number 318012021), belonging to Les transports Aéro 2000 Inc., with three passengers and one pilot on board, was on a charter visual flight rules (VFR) flight from Kangiqsujuaq, Quebec, to Kuujjuaq, Quebec. At 1056 eastern daylight saving time (EDT), the pilot contacted the Kuujjuaq flight service station (FSS) by radio and reported that he had taken off eight minutes earlier and planned to overfly the Nouveau-Québec crater. That was the last message received from the pilot. When the aircraft failed to arrive at destination at the expected time, a search was initiated. The next day, a ground search team found the aircraft. The Navajo struck the eastern slope of the Nouveau-Québec crater while in straight and level flight. The four occupants of the aircraft were fatally injured in the accident.
Probable cause:
The pilot continued flight in adverse weather and may have lost situational awareness due to incorrect information provided by the GPS. The pilot evidently did not have the visual references required to avoid striking the eastern slope of the Nouveau-Québec crater.
Final Report:
