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Casualties unknown

Provincial Airlines Dash 8 Stall During Climb from St. John's

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, CA

On May 27, 2005, a de Havilland DHC-8-100 C-GZKH operated by Provincial Airlines Limited was involved in an aviation accident near St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, CA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The captain inadvertently selected vertical speed (VS) mode on the automatic flight control system (AFCS) instead of the intended IAS mode, and neither flight crew detected the selection error. This summary draws on records from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB); 2 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB)Primary reportUpdated 2026-09-13Data APIEditorial standards

A Provincial Airlines DHC-8-100 (C-GZKH) stalled during climb from St. John's on 27 May 2005 due to an inadvertent AFCS mode selection and possible ice accumulation. The aircraft lost 4,200 feet before recovery; no injuries or damage occurred.

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On 27 May 2005, a de Havilland DHC-8-100 (Dash 8) operated by Provincial Airlines Limited, registration C-GZKH and serial number 117, was conducting a passenger revenue flight from St. John's to Deer Lake, Newfoundland and Labrador. The aircraft carried 36 passengers and 3 crew members. During the climb-out from St. John's, the indicated airspeed gradually decreased until the aircraft entered an aerodynamic stall. The aircraft then descended rapidly and out of control, losing 4,200 feet before recovery was achieved approximately 40 seconds later. The incident occurred during daylight hours in instrument meteorological conditions, with no injuries and no damage to the aircraft.

Probable cause

The captain inadvertently selected vertical speed (VS) mode on the automatic flight control system (AFCS) instead of the intended IAS mode, and neither flight crew detected the selection error. The flight crew did not activate the pneumatic de-ice equipment while climbing in icing conditions, and did not detect the decreased airspeed until the aircraft was near the stall. The aircraft stalled at a higher-than-normal airspeed, with little advance warning, most likely due to accumulated ice on critical surfaces. The captain, believing that they had encountered severe turbulence, did not recognize that the aircraft had stalled, and did not apply the standard stall recovery technique.
Loss of control in flightAerodynamic stall

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Same operator

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