What happened
On July 17, 2022, at approximately 10:21 PDT, a float-equipped de Havilland DHC-2 MK. I (Beaver), registered as C-GIYV, departed from Tyaughton Lake, British Columbia. The aircraft, operated by Tyax Air Service Limited, was conducting a visual flight rules flight to Lorna Lake with a crew of one pilot and five passengers.
During the cruise phase of the flight, at roughly 10:40, the pilot attempted to reverse the aircraft's course while flying within a valley. During this maneuver, the aircraft struck the terrain. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the aircraft. Of the six people on board, the pilot and two passengers sustained serious injuries, while the remaining three passengers suffered minor injuries.
Although the aircraft's 406 MHz emergency locator transmitter functioned correctly, rescue operations faced a delay of about three hours because of low cloud ceilings in the vicinity of the crash site.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the terrain collision and the circumstances surrounding the flight maneuver in the valley.