What happened
On a dark evening in January, a Transwest Air flight departing La Ronge, Saskatchewan, for Sandy Bay, entered a critical phase of flight that ended in a collision. The flight, operating as TW350, was a medical transport mission carrying two emergency medical technicians and two crew members.
While executing an NDB approach to Runway 05, the crew identified that the Beech A100 King Air was high on its approach. Following a period of coaching from the captain, a decision was made to abandon the landing attempt and initiate a go-around. During this maneuver, the aircraft failed to maintain a positive rate of climb. The C-GFFN struck trees just beyond the departure end of the runway. The impact caused substantial damage to the airframe, which was subsequently destroyed by a post-impact fire.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight sequence, the crew's actions during the approach, and the pilot's professional history. Investigators looked into the transition of control between the captain and the first officer during the go-around. It was noted that while the first officer observed the captain's hand on the control column and felt a change in pitch, there was no verbal communication or acknowledgement regarding the transfer of control.
Furthermore, the investigation reviewed the captain's background, noting a history of performance issues at previous employers, including concerns regarding decision-making and adherence to standard operating procedures. The investigation also looked at the technical aspects of the aircraft's performance during the climb-out phase.