What happened
On a daylight flight in early 2013, a Cessna 182 equipped with amphibious floats departed from Makada Lake, Ontario. The aircraft, registered C-FIUE, was carrying one pilot and one passenger, with the intention of picking up an additional person at Little Panache Lake before proceeding to Griffith Island in Georgian Bay.
While the crew was performing a visual approach to Runway 27 at Griffith Island, the aircraft experienced an aerodynamic stall. This led to a collision with the water approximately 1,000 feet southeast of the runway threshold. The impact was severe enough to destroy the aircraft, and there were 3 fatalities as no one on board survived the crash.
The investigation
Investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the flight path and the aircraft's performance during the approach. The aircraft was equipped with an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) that activated upon impact. However, the signal failed to reach rescuers because the antenna became submerged in the water following the crash.