What happened
On 11 July 2019, a float-equipped de Havilland DHC-2 Mk. I Beaver, registered as C-FBBG, departed from the Hawk Junction Water Aerodrome on Hawk Lake, Ontario. Operated by Hawk Air, the aircraft was performing a daytime visual flight rules charter flight intended to deliver supplies to an outpost camp located on Oba Lake, roughly 35 nautical miles north-northeast of the departure point.
Shortly after the aircraft began its climb out heading northeast, it entered a steep nose-down attitude. During this descent, the aircraft severed a power line just before striking the ground near a hydro substation. The impact resulted in two fatalities, involving the pilot and one passenger. While the aircraft was destroyed in the crash, no fire occurred after the impact. The emergency locator transmitter successfully alerted the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, Ontario.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight path and the sudden change in the aircraft's attitude during the early stages of the climb. Investigators examined the wreckage and the sequence of events leading to the impact near the hydro substation.