What happened
On the night of 14 December 2010, a Cessna 310R, registration C-GABL, departed Montréal/St-Hubert Airport, Quebec, for a non-revenue flight to Pokemouche Airport, New Brunswick. The aircraft was undergoing a period of transition following the recent installation of a new audio panel and a Garmin GNS 430W GPS unit.
During the flight, which was conducted under instrument flight rules (IFR), the pilot encountered deteriorating weather conditions. As the aircraft approached the destination, visibility was significantly reduced by fog and drizzle, with ceilings as low as 200 feet. While the aircraft was descending toward the airport, it disappeared from radar coverage. Although the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter sent brief signals, the signal failed before rescuers could pinpoint the location. Two days later, the wreckage was discovered in a wooded area approximately 5.5 nautical miles west-northwest of the Pokemouche Airport. The impact and subsequent fire destroyed the aircraft, and the lone occupant was fatally injured.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the circumstances leading to the controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). Investigators examined the pilot's recent training, the functionality of the newly installed avionics, and the prevailing weather conditions. While the aircraft featured a terrain awareness feature, the pilot had only received a brief familiarization session on the new equipment earlier that day. The investigation also looked into the search and rescue delay, noting that the 406 MHz ELT was not GPS-encoded, which hindered the rapid localization of the wreckage.