What happened
On July 3, 2013, at approximately 14:15 ADT, a Bombardier CL-415 amphibious aircraft, registered as C-FIZU, departed from Wabush, Newfoundland and Labrador. Operating as Tanker 286 for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Air Services Division, the aircraft was en route to combat a local forest fire.
During the mission, the aircraft landed on Moosehead Lake to perform a water scoop operation. Roughly 40 seconds after touching the water, the captain began a left-hand turn. During this maneuver, the pilot lost control of the aircraft, resulting in a water-loop. The aircraft ended up upright but was partially submerged in the lake. The two crew members on board were able to exit the cockpit and waited on the upper surface of the wing until a rescue boat arrived. There were no injuries reported, though the aircraft was destroyed.
The investigation
Investigators examined the sequence of events following the loss of control and the subsequent impact. The investigation noted that the onboard 406-megahertz emergency locator transmitter failed to activate because the forward impact force was insufficient to trigger the device. The investigation also looked into the operational conditions of the water scooping maneuver.