What happened
On August 6, 2019, at 11:01 PDT, an Alkan Air Ltd. Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, registered as C-FSKF, departed from Rau Strip, Yukon. The aircraft was operating a company flight under visual flight rules, destined for Mayo Airport, with one pilot, one passenger, and cargo on board.
Shortly after departure, at approximately 11:13, the aircraft encountered instrument meteorological conditions. While flying through these conditions, the aircraft struck rising terrain within a box canyon. The impact occurred roughly 25 nautical miles east-northeast of Mayo Airport at an elevation of 5,500 feet. Following the crash, a brief fire occurred, and the aircraft was destroyed. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries.
Witnesses from a nearby exploration camp reached the wreckage about one hour after the event, while emergency responders from the RCMP and medical services arrived approximately 90 minutes after the accident. Notably, the aircraft's 406 MHz emergency locator transmitter failed to send a signal to the Canadian Mission Control Centre.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the impact with terrain and the failure of the emergency signaling equipment. Investigators examined the flight conditions and the aircraft's path through the box canyon.