What happened
On a June day in 2013, two aircraft were operating under visual flight rules in the vicinity of Pemberton, British and Columbia, when they collided in mid-air. The first aircraft, a privately registered Cessna 150F (registration C-FSQQ), had departed from Lillooet with a pilot, one passenger, and a dog on board, en route to Nanaimo. Simultaneously, a Stemme S10-VT motor glider (registration C-FHAB) was returning to Pemberton following a local sightseeing flight, carrying a pilot and one passenger.
At approximately 12:18 Pacific Daylight Time, the two aircraft collided roughly 3 nautical miles west of Pemberton. The impact sent the aircraft into the Nairn Falls Provincial Park Campsite. The collision resulted in two fatalities and the total destruction of both aircraft. The impact created two distinct accident sites located approximately 0.3 nautical miles apart. Following the crash, an intense fire broke out, which completely consumed the engine compartment and cockpit of the glider, while the Cessna's engine compartment experienced a smaller fire that extinguished on its own. No signals from emergency locator transmitters were detected following the event.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight paths and operational conditions of both aircraft leading up to the collision. Investigators examined the wreckage at both impact sites and analyzed the flight profiles of the Cessna 150F and the Stemme S10-VT. The investigation also looked into the lack of emergency locator transmitter signals and the post-impact fire conditions.