Background
The aircraft, a Britten-Norman Islander BN.2A-27 (registration C-FJJR, serial number 424), was operated by Strait Air 2000 Ltd. The flight was a medical evacuation tasked to transport a patient from Port Hope Simpson to St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador.
History of the Flight
At approximately 0500 Newfoundland and Labrador daylight time, the hospital in St. Anthony contacted the company owner requesting the medevac. The pilot was contacted and weather was checked. The decision was made to proceed with the flight under visual meteorological conditions (VMC), with a plan to return to Forteau if weather deteriorated below VMC. A visual flight rules (VFR) flight plan was filed for a round trip: Forteau – Port Hope Simpson – St. Anthony – Forteau.
The aircraft departed the company's base at Forteau at approximately 0620. At approximately 0650, the pilot made radio contact with the airfield attendant at Port Hope Simpson Airport, reporting being four nautical miles from the airport for landing. The weather at Port Hope Simpson was reported as foggy. No further transmissions were received from the aircraft. Although not visible, the aircraft was heard west of the field. An application of power was heard, followed shortly by the sound of an impact.
Approximately 30 minutes later, after the fog cleared, smoke was visible in the hills about four nautical miles west of the airport. A ground search team was dispatched from Port Hope Simpson and located the wreckage at approximately 1100.
Personnel and Aircraft Information
The sole occupant of the aircraft was fatally injured. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a severe post-crash fire. There was no emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal. The degree of destruction and fire intensity likely precluded ELT operation.
Investigation
There were no witnesses to the final moments of the flight, and no onboard recording devices were installed. The aircraft impacted the ground in a near-vertical attitude, indicating an in-flight loss of control. Examination found no evidence of problems with the flight controls or engines. Pilot incapacitation was ruled out because the application of power less than two seconds before impact suggested the pilot was still attempting to fly. Turbulence was also ruled out as a factor due to the absence of significant conditions in the area.
Visibility and ceilings were reported as low in the Port Hope Simpson area. The investigation considered several scenarios: the pilot attempting to return to Forteau while flying at low altitude and slow speed, possibly inadvertently entering cloud and stalling; trying to fly below and around weather and suddenly losing ground contact or facing rising terrain, leading to evasive action and stall; or attempting an instrument approach using the GPS (though the company was not approved for single-pilot IFR operations due to a lack of functioning autopilot), which could have led to airspeed decay. Icing in cloud was considered but eliminated because the freezing level was above the minimum safe altitude for the approach. None of these scenarios could be validated, but an aerodynamic stall was a common factor.
Findings
The investigation determined that the aircraft departed controlled flight, likely in an aerodynamic stall, and impacted terrain for undetermined reasons. The lack of onboard recording devices prevented determination of the reasons for the loss of control.