What happened
On the morning of the accident, a Piper PA31-350, registration C-FTIW, departed Sept-Îles, Quebec, for a scheduled medical evacuation flight to Wabush, Newfoundland and Labrador. The pilot, the sole occupant of the aircraft, was tasked with transporting a patient and a passenger on the return leg. While the flight plan specified a direct route at 5,500 feet, the pilot deviated from the planned path to fly over a friend's cottage at Grand lac Germain.
Witnesses observed the aircraft overflying the southeast bay of the lake twice. During the second pass, the aircraft was flying at a low altitude, between 100 and 300 feet, following the terrain. After a period of level flight, the aircraft initiated a climb followed by a steep right bank. Shortly after disappearing behind a line of trees, the sound of an impact was heard. The aircraft had struck the frozen surface of the lake, resulting in one fatality and the destruction of the aircraft.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft's maintenance history, the pilot's experience, and the flight dynamics leading to the impact. The aircraft had undergone a modification to include vortex generators, which altered its stall characteristics. The investigation also reviewed the company's operational procedures and the pilot's flight and duty time records.
Analysis of the wreckage and impact marks indicated that the aircraft was in a stall condition at the moment of impact. Investigators considered several scenarios, including mechanical failure or a collision with trees, but found no evidence of flight control failure or wood residue from a tree strike. The investigation also noted that the aircraft was not equipped with a flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder.
Findings
- The aircraft entered an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low to allow for recovery.
- The steep right bank performed by the pilot significantly increased the aircraft's stall speed.
- The aircraft was flying at an altitude that provided insufficient margin for obstacle clearance and left no time for corrective action.
- The pilot's flight speed may have been reduced due to the low-altitude nature of the maneuver or a lack of increased power during the climb.
- The company's flight time recording system had not been updated for over a month, hindering the monitoring of pilot duty hours.