What happened
On 08 October 2000, a Short Brothers SC-7 Skyvan, registration C-XXXX (not provided, but part of Summit Air Charters fleet), was conducting a scheduled cargo flight through the Northwest Territories. The mission involved transporting equipment from Yellowknife to Kugluktuk, returning with empty fuel barrels, and performing a visual inspection of an abandoned airstrip at Port Radium. The flight crew included the pilot-in-command, a cargo handler occupying the co-pilot seat, and one passenger.
After departing Kugluktuk at 1424, the aircraft disappeared from radar. Search and rescue teams later identified an emergency locator transmitter signal near Port Radium. The wreckage was discovered the following day, located approximately 2.9 nautical miles northeast of the Port Radium airstrip. The aircraft had struck treetops on rising hills along the eastern shore of Great Bear Lake. The impact destroyed the aircraft, and all three persons on board were fatally injured.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and flight data, including a recovered GPS receiver. The aircraft's engines and propellers showed damage consistent with power being produced at the moment of impact, and the wreckage trail indicated the aircraft was in a cruise configuration. The investigation also reviewed the pilot's recent flight history and the weather conditions at the time of the accident.
Weather briefings prior to the flight had indicated low ceilings and visibility near a warm front, with freezing levels at the surface north of the lake. While the aircraft was equipped for instrument flight, the pilot was operating under visual flight rules. The investigation noted that the pilot had flown 156 hours in the 30 days preceding the crash, which was within the company's authorized limit but potentially relevant to fatigue levels.
Findings
- The aircraft was on a course toward its intended waypoint near the Port Radium runway.
- The pilot continued to operate under visual flight rules despite encountering marginal weather and reduced visibility.
- The aircraft struck the terrain while in controlled flight, having descended below the elevation of the surrounding hills.
- Potential contributing factors included the possibility of icing causing an unintended descent or obscured visibility, and the potential for pilot fatigue due to high recent flight hours.