What happened
In the early hours of August 2014, an Atlantic Charters Piper PA-31, registered C-GKWE, was performing a MEDEVAC mission between Saint John and Grand Manan, New Brunswick. After completing the initial leg of the flight, the aircraft departed Saint John for the return trip carrying two pilots and two passengers.
During the return approach to Grand Manan Airport, the captain attempted to land on Runway 24 but was forced to execute a go-around. While performing a second approach with the landing gear deployed, the aircraft struck a road that runs perpendicular to the runway, roughly 1500 feet short of the threshold. The plane then plowed through approximately 100 feet of brush before briefly lifting off the ground. Shortly thereafter, at approximately 0512 ADT, the aircraft impacted the ground to the left of the runway centerline, about 1000 feet from the threshold. The accident occurred in darkness. The impact resulted in two fatalities and two serious injuries.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the terrain impact during the second approach. Investigators examined the aircraft's flight path, the configuration of the plane during the go-around, and the environmental conditions at the time of the accident. The wreckage was analyzed, and the activation of the emergency locator transmitter was noted.