Two Northern airlines suspended from flying
Two airlines operating in the prairie and northern regions have “lost the confidence” of federal regulators because of recurring accidents and lack of compliance with safety regulations, according to a Transport Canada briefing document.
An official confirmed on Thursday that Buffalo Airways, the Northwest Territories-based carrier that was the focus of a hit reality TV show, and Keystone Air Service of Manitoba are the operators under scrutiny.
Transport officials took the unusual step of grounding both carriers in the past two months.
“Suspending an ( air operator certificate) is a serious action. While Transport Canada does not take this action frequently, we act in the interest of public safety when required,” Sean Best, an agency spokesman, said in an email.
“The suspensions will be terminated when we are satisfied that each air operator has adequately addressed our safety concerns.”
Officials from either airline could not be reached for comment. However, Sol Taboada, a consultant hired by Buffalo Airways to address the problems, acknowledged the com- pany did not have a robust safety verification system in place and “paperwork was spotty.”
In recent weeks, his firm has helped Buffalo Airways develop corrective action plans that included a proposal to bring in a third- party “gatekeeper” who would be responsible for making sure everything was in order before each flight. The airline’s president, Joe McBryan, known in the North as “Buffalo Joe,” also signed a letter stating that he would agree to step away from day- to- day operations.
Yet, to Taboada’s surprise, federal regulators would not agree to lift the suspension.
“Transport Canada is killing these guys,” he said. “We are confident our corrective action plans were done properly and achieved the goals of remedial action. They should be allowed to go into force.”
Taboada, whose consulting firm, DTI Training, trained Transport Canada staff on how to carry out inspections years ago, said he wonders if the agency has a personal beef with McBryan because his reality show, Ice Pilots NWT, did not always represent the federal agency in a positive light.
“Are they singling them out? I just don’t understand why they’re treating them different,” he said.
According to a briefing handbook prepared for Marc Garneau, the new federal transport minister, the carriers’ “history of accidents and poor inspection results justifies taking action in the public interest.”
“This approach represents a change of perspective, as minimal compliance with regulations has proven to be insufficient to deem these operators safe,” said the handbook, which was made available this week on Transport Canada’s website.
Family-run Buffalo Airways operates passenger flights between Hay River and Yellowknife. It also delivers cargo, including food and medical supplies across the northern region. It has been in operation since 1970.
In August 2013, one of the company’s DC- 3s had just taken off from Yellowknife with 21 passengers when an engine caught fire. The plane struck a stand of trees before making a hard landing south of the runway. No one was hurt.
In its final accident report released in April, the Transportation Safety Board ( TSB) said the company was not doing enough to identify hazards and reduce risks.
“The company’s response to deficiencies identified during ( Transport Canada) surveillance activities demonstrated an adversarial relationship between the company and the regulator,” the report said. “The company refuted the regulatory basis of findings, questioned the competence of TC inspectors, and initially did not take responsibility for the issues identified.”
Ice Pilots NWT ended a sixyear run on the History Canada channel a year ago. Promotional materials still posted on the channel’s website say the popular “docu-series” followed the adventures of the “renegade” Arctic airline and describe McBryan as a “northern aviation legend” facing increased scrutiny from Transport Canada.
One season opened with a “meltdown when the C-46 suffers an engine fire on the runway, sending the crew scrambling for a backup plane.”
After its operating licence was suspended Nov. 30, the company started chartering flights to support its passenger service and cargo deliveries. But a Facebook post on Wednesday indicated all passenger flights were being postponed.
Keystone Air Service, a small charter airline based in Winnipeg, has been in operation since 1985. A 2011 aviation magazine profile of the company said many of its customers are government employees, construction workers and tourists in northern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario.
Its operating certificate was suspended on Oct. 9, a few weeks after one of its planes crashed soon after taking off from Thompson, Man. All eight people on board survived.
According to the TSB, the twin piston- engine aircraft requires aviation gasoline but was fuelled with turbine- engine fuel.
In January 2012, four people were killed when a Keystone flight crashed into a frozen lake in northwestern Ontario.
Pilot inexperience was cited as a key contributing factor.