What happened
On the afternoon of 21 July 2019, a Cessna 150J, registered C-GCEA, departed from Jasper Airport, Alberta, bound for Hinton/Entrance Airport. The flight crew, consisting of a pilot and one passenger, commenced takeoff from Runway 31 at 1323. Shortly after liftoff, the aircraft climbed to an altitude of roughly 150 feet above ground level. Approximately 0.5 nautical miles from the departure runway, the aircraft experienced an aerodynamic stall and transitioned into a left-hand spin, ultimately crashing into a pool of the Athabasca River.
Following the impact, an emergency locator transmitter activated. Local witnesses and an airport pilot responded immediately, assisting the occupants to the shore. While the pilot sustained severe injuries and required air ambulance transport to Edmonton, the passenger sustained fatal injuries.
The investigation
Investigators examined the wreckage and recovered a Garmin GPSMAP 196 for laboratory analysis. The examination of the aircraft's major components revealed that the engine and flight controls were functioning normally before the impact. The aircraft's wing flaps were in the retracted position, and the plane was within its certified weight and balance limits.
Data retrieved from the GPS unit showed that just before the loss of control, the aircraft's ground speed dropped from 83 mph to 64 mph. During this period, the aircraft's course shifted approximately 30 degrees to the left of the original runway track. The GPS records also indicated that the aircraft maintained a constant altitude of about 150 feet for nearly five seconds before the stall and spin occurred.
Weather conditions at the time of the accident included southerly winds between 5 and 10 knots, with a density altitude of approximately 5088 feet.