Aircraft and Crew Information
The accident aircraft was a Fairchild SA226TC Metroliner, registration C-GYPA, operated by Perimeter Airlines Ltd. under Canadian Aviation Regulations (CAR) 703 and 704. The aircraft had been modified to accommodate patients and provide medical care en route. On board were two pilots and a flight nurse.
The captain held an airline transport pilot licence with approximately 3100 total flight hours, including about 1100 hours on the Metroliner. His medical certificate required corrective lenses. The first officer held a commercial pilot licence with approximately 1200 total flight hours, including about 900 hours on type. Both pilots had completed controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) training in December 2000.
Accident Sequence
The aircraft departed Gods Lake Narrows, Manitoba, at approximately 2300 central daylight time on a MEDEVAC flight to Shamattawa. Approaching Shamattawa, the crew descended to the 100-nautical-mile minimum safe altitude of 2300 feet above sea level (asl). After clearing an overcast cloud layer at about 3000 feet asl, they attempted a night visual approach to Runway 01. The aircraft was too high and too fast on final approach, and the crew elected to execute a missed approach. Approximately 30 seconds after increasing power, at 2333, the aircraft struck trees slightly left of the runway centreline, about 2600 feet from the departure end of Runway 01.
The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) indicated the crew were in control and did not express concern prior to impact. The aircraft broke apart along a wreckage trail of about 850 feet. Only the cabin aft of the cockpit retained some structural integrity. A post-crash fire was confined to the wings, which had separated from the cabin and cockpit wreckage.
Post-Accident Findings
Autopsy results indicated that both pilots were fatally injured on impact; the flight nurse was seriously injured but able to exit the wreckage. Toxicology tests on the captain revealed no pre-existing condition or substance affecting performance. The first officer's autopsy revealed severe stenosis of the left anterior descending coronary artery with dilated cardiomegaly (510 g) and thyroiditis, and toxicology was positive for cannabinoids (THC) in excess of 50 ng/ml.
The aircraft was equipped with a CVR but no flight data recorder. The CVR was recovered and analyzed; all four channels were clear.
Shamattawa Airport has a single gravel runway, Runway 01/19, 4000 feet long with low-intensity lighting and no visual approach slope indicator. The non-directional beacon (NDB) was not turned on until the aircraft crossed the threshold. The crew used an altimeter setting of 29.82 inches, rather than the 29.89 inches reported by the airport manager, resulting in the aircraft flying about 70 feet higher than intended. The crew used a GPS for the initial descent and became visual at about 3000 feet asl. They flew a left-hand visual approach; at 3 nautical miles, they were about 700 feet above the desired path. Both pilots agreed that a missed approach was necessary. During the missed approach, the aircraft's nose moved upward but the aircraft did not climb away, staying at approximately tree height. About 20 seconds after initiating the missed approach and 7 seconds before impact, the captain stated he would climb to 1300 feet asl and go around left. The first officer did not make the "400 feet" or "Obstacle Clearance Altitude" call. Two seconds later, the aircraft struck the trees.