What happened
During a night visual approach to a private, uncertified aerodrome at Fox Harbour, Nova Scotia, an Israel Aircraft Industries Astra SPX, registration C-FRJZ, struck the tops of trees on short final for Runway 33. The crew attempted an overshoot maneuver just before impact, which allowed the aircraft to climb away and avoid a more serious accident. Following the strike, the flight diverted to Charlottable, Prince Edward Island, where it landed without further incident. While the aircraft sustained substantial damage, there were no injuries to the crew or passengers.
Prior to the approach, the crew had programmed waypoints into the flight management system to facilitate a straight-in landing. However, the descent was conducted at high speeds, with the aircraft maintaining 340 knots at 10,000 feet and 250 knots at 1,000 feet. This high-speed descent delayed the execution of landing configurations, such as flaps and gear extension, until approximately three miles from the runway. During this critical phase, the co-pilot's attention was focused on cockpit checklists rather than external monitoring.
The investigation
The investigation established that the aerodrome at Fox Harbour lacked approach lighting, a visual approach slope indicating system, or any formal approach procedures. The crew relied on a hand-drawn sketch for navigation and could not obtain real-time wind or runway condition updates because the aerodrome's radio was unstaffed.
Investigators found that the environmental conditions—a clear, starlit night over featureless terrain with only runway lights visible—were highly conducive to the black-hole illusion. This phenomenon can cause pilots to lose depth perception and inadvertently fly a descending arc while attempting to maintain a constant visual angle. Furthermore, the investigation noted that the crew was under pressure to complete arrivals in minimum time, a practice supported by the aircraft owner. The investigation also revealed that the crew was not sufficiently trained to utilize the aircraft's vertical guidance capabilities for such approaches.
Findings
- The presence of conditions conducive to the black-hole illusion during the night approach.
- The crew's failure to recognize the potential hazard of the black-hole illusion and take necessary compensatory actions.
- A lack of adherence to standard operating procedures, specifically regarding approach briefings and altitude call-outs.
- High descent and intermediate approach speeds, which delayed pre-landing checks and diverted the co-pilot's attention to internal cockpit tasks during the approach monitoring phase.
- The decision to retract the landing gear and flaps during the overshoot, which introduced additional risk of asymmetric malfunction following the tree strike.