History of the Flight
On June 23, 2010, the Beechcraft A100 King Air (registration C-FGIN, serial number B-164) operated by Aéropro (2550-4330 Québec Inc.) as flight APO201 was on an instrument flight rules flight from Québec to Sept-Îles, Quebec. The two pilots arrived at the company offices around 0500 local time. The pilot-in-command (PIC) and co-pilot divided pre-flight tasks. The PIC obtained weather information and calculated weight and balance, filing a flight plan at 0538. The co-pilot performed the external inspection and added one litre of oil to the right engine.
At 0543, five passengers boarded. The PIC was seated in the left seat as pilot flying, and the co-pilot in the right seat. Engines were started using a ground power unit at 0545, and the aircraft was positioned for run-up and systems checks.
Take-off and Initial Climb
At 0554, APO201 proceeded onto Taxiway Charlie toward Runway 30. The controller cleared the flight for take-off, and the aircraft began its take-off run with flaps retracted. At 0558, passing Taxiway Juliet at 2900 feet from the runway threshold, APO201 rotated at 100 knots. Over the Runway 06/24 intersection, ground speed was 121 knots, the maximum reached during the flight. Six seconds later, over the end of Runway 30, ground speed dropped to 115 knots.
The aircraft appeared on radar 800 feet past the runway end at 160 feet above ground level (agl) at 110 knots. Five seconds later, it turned 10° right at 260 feet agl, the maximum altitude, with speed unchanged. About 39 seconds after take-off, the co-pilot reported a problem with the right engine and that they would return to land on Runway 30. The controller granted priority and asked if emergency services were needed. The co-pilot then stated the aircraft was unable to climb. This was the last transmission.
Accident and Impact
Nine seconds later, the aircraft disappeared from radar at 160 feet agl traveling 100 knots. Ten seconds after the last transmission, APO201 crashed in a field approximately 1.5 nautical miles from the end of Runway 30, slightly right of the extended centerline. The aircraft traveled 115 feet before striking a berm, then broke up and caught fire, coming to rest inverted 58 feet further. All seven occupants (two pilots and five passengers) died in the accident. The emergency locator transmitter (ELT) did not emit a signal.
Investigation
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigated. The aircraft was destroyed and there was no flight data recorder or cockpit voice recorder, preventing determination of exact circumstances. The weather was not a factor. The investigation examined the reported engine problem, emergency management, crew training, Aéropro management and culture, and Transport Canada surveillance. The analysis noted that technical defects were not systematically recorded in journey logs, and the low pitch stop failure warning system occasionally malfunctioned, leading pilots to pull its circuit breaker before take-off to avoid false alarms. The aircraft's take-off performance was lower than specified in the Airplane Flight Manual, partly because the crew likely set engine power according to Aéropro's directive rather than maximum continuous power. The climb performance was degraded, reducing time to handle the emergency. The co-pilot reported a problem with the right engine but did not specify the nature. A power lever was pulled, triggering a gear warning. Two possible scenarios were considered: a flight low pitch stop system failure or an engine power loss. An engine fire was ruled out. The investigation could not confirm the exact sequence due to missing data.