Occurrence
On 23 January 2019, at 2135 Eastern Standard Time, a de Havilland DHC-8-102 aircraft (registration C-GTCO, serial number 119) operated by Air Creebec Inc. was conducting a scheduled flight from Rouyn-Noranda Airport, Quebec, to Montréal/Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport, Quebec. The aircraft had 3 crew members and 6 passengers on board. During the take-off roll on Runway 26, the aircraft began to veer to the left and continued to do so until the left main landing gear rolled off the runway surface. The landing gear then struck a snow windrow located 5 feet beyond the edge of the runway. The aircraft continued veering left and came to rest in a compacted snowbank 40 feet from the runway.
Injuries and Damage
One of the passengers received minor injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, landing gear, and propellers.
Environmental Conditions
The accident occurred during the hours of darkness. Visibility was reduced to approximately 2 statute miles in snow showers.
Additional Details
The emergency locator transmitter did not activate.
Probable Cause
The investigation determined that the runway excursion resulted from ineffective visual monitoring during takeoff.