What happened
On the night of 13 October 2016, a Cessna Citation 500, registered as C-GTNG, departed from Kelowna Airport in British Columbia. The aircraft was performing an instrument flight rules flight destined for Calgary/Springbank Airport in Alberta, carrying a pilot and three passengers.
During the initial climb, while at an altitude of approximately 8,600 feet, the aircraft executed a sharp right-hand turn. Following this maneuver, the plane entered a steep descending turn to the right, which continued until the aircraft impacted the ground. The collision resulted in a post-impact fire and the total destruction of the aircraft. There were 4 fatalities among the occupants. No distress signals were transmitted, and no emergency locator transmitter signal was identified following the crash.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight path and the sequence of maneuvers leading to the impact. Investigators examined the aircraft's descent and the lack of emergency communications prior to the crash.