What happened
On a daylight flight from Thicket Portage to Thompson, Manitoba, a Beech 95-55, registration C-FBJA, experienced a sudden electrical failure shortly after takeoff. Following the departure, the pilot lost radio communications, GPS, and transponder functionality. The pilot used a mobile phone to notify the Winnipeg Flight Information Centre of an electrical issue and an estimated arrival time, but did not report a landing gear malfunction.
During the flight, the pilot noted smoke and an electrical odor in the cockpit. Attempting to navigate using a standby magnetic compass—as the primary instruments were non-functional—the pilot became disoriented. Seeking a safer landing site, the pilot followed a railroad line toward Pikwitonei. During an approach to land, the pilot attempted to ensure the landing gear was locked by rocking the wings. This maneuver was followed by the loss of power in the right engine, and subsequently, the left engine.
The aircraft struck trees and terrain near Pikwitonei, resulting in the destruction of the aircraft. The pilot, the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft's electrical system and found that the failure was likely caused by low voltage on the electrical bus. This was due to a combination of a faulty right voltage regulator and a left regulator set too low to maintain the bus independently. The investigation also revealed that the landing gear motor had overheated and stalled due to the high electrical strain placed on depleted batteries during gear retraction.
Regarding the engine failure, the investigation determined that the engines stopped due to fuel exhaustion and starvation. The pilot had not addressed the fuel state during the emergency, and the lack of engine feathering increased drag and caused fuel to move away from the intake ports during the aircraft's yaw.
Findings
- The electrical system failure stemmed from the unserviceable right voltage regulator and the low voltage output of the left regulator.
- Task saturation caused by the pilot's low recent flying experience prevented an effective response to the multiple simultaneous emergencies.
- The pilot's use of a cell phone to communicate with the Flight Information Centre served as a distraction from critical navigation and aircraft management tasks.
- The aircraft's fuel quantity gauges lacked the required regulatory yellow bands, which could have provided a visual warning of low fuel levels.
- The emergency locator transmitter (ELT) failed to activate upon impact, likely due to the orientation of the G-switch during the crash sequence.