Aircraft crashed in Labrador amid whiteout conditions
Plane had inadequate hill clearance: Transportation Safety Board
The dangers of flying in whiteout conditions and a flight plan that had the pilot flying in a situation where the visual references to the ground were reduced are among the safety messages in a Transportation Safety Board (TSB) investigation into a 2019 crash near Makkovik, Labrador.
“In this occurrence, the altitude that was planned and flown was lower than the highest elevation of terrain along a route where visual references to the ground were reduced. It is important for pilots to operate aircraft with adequate clearance from obstacles and terrain along a visual flight rules (VFR) route. In such situations, it is important that pilots maintain situational awareness in order to reduce the risks associated with flight into rising terrain by using all available means,” the TSB said in its report on the May 2019 crash of a Piper aircraft that was being delivered to the United Kingdom after being purchased in the U.S.
The plane was being flown by a hired pilot, and the passenger was one of two co-owners.
On May 1, after leaving Goose Bay airport enroute to Greenland, the aircraft collided with a snow-covered hill 2,250 feet in elevation 35 nautical miles southeast of Makkovik airport. The site was 31 nautical miles north-northeast of Rigolet.
The TSB does not assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability, but delivered safety messages based on the crash.
The aircraft came to rest in deep snow on steep sloping terrain, the TSB noted, and sustained significant damage to the propeller, nose gear, both wings and fuselage. Although the cabin was crushed, occupiable space remained.
The pilot was seriously injured and the co-owner was fatally injured.
Air Search and Rescue (SAR) were dispatched to the area. However, by that time, the weather had deteriorated to blizzard conditions and aerial rescue was not possible. Ground SAR then deployed from the coastal community of Makkovik and arrived at the accident site about four hours later because of poor weather conditions and near-zero visibility. The pilot and the body of the co-owner were transported to Makkovik by snowmobile. The next day they were airlifted to Goose Bay.
The TSB said the pilot’s plan to initially fly VFR below the highest terrain elevation along the route introduced two hazards: flying over rising terrain in deteriorating weather conditions, and flying over snow-covered featureless terrain.
“Accidents associated with continuing VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) where pilots lose visual reference with the ground are well documented and have a high fatality rate. According to data collected by the TSB between 2000 and 2014, these types of accidents resulted in 74 fatalities,” the TSB stated.
The TSB also said a personal satellite tracking device, a personal locator beacon, a handheld VHF radio and a functioning aircraft emergency locator transmitter — which in this crash alerted the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax — can assist rescuers in locating an accident site and increase the chance of survival. All of those devices were on the aircraft.