What happened
On a flight departing from Ottawa/Carp Airport, Ontario, a privately owned SOCATA TBM 700N, registered C-FBKK, began an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight toward Goderich, Ontario. Shortly after the departure, the pilot, who was the only person on board, changed the intended destination to Wiarton, Ontario. After receiving clearance from air traffic control to climb to flight level 260 (FL26 and 260), the aircraft continued its ascent past the assigned altitude. During this climb, the aircraft entered a right-hand turn that transitioned into a spiral dive. The aircraft impacted the ground at approximately 1219 Eastern Daylight Time, causing the airframe to be destroyed and triggering small fires. The pilot sustained fatal injuries.
The investigation
Investigators examined the sequence of events leading to the impact and the aircraft's flight path. The investigation noted that the aircraft's 406 MHz emergency locator transmitter was damaged during the crash, which prevented the search and rescue satellite-aided tracking (SARSAT) system from detecting its signal.