What happened
In the early hours of 13 April 2024, a Beechcraft King Air B200, registered C-GBYN, departed Goose Bay Airport in Newfoundland and Labrador. The aircraft, operated by Keewatin Air LP, was performing an instrument flight rules medical evacuation mission to Québec/Jean Lesage International Airport. On board were two pilots, two medical personnel, and one patient.
Shortly after taking off from Runway 26, the flight crew identified a fire indication in the left engine. In response, the crew halted their climb, executed necessary memory items to shut down the engine, and declared an emergency while requesting to return to the airport. During the approach for the return, the crew briefly lost visual contact with the runway, regaining it when the aircraft was 0.8 nautical miles from the threshold. Air traffic control provided clearance for a contact approach to Runway 08.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events following the engine fire indication and the subsequent landing. The aircraft touched down on the wet runway 9,075 feet from the threshold. Following the landing, the aircraft traveled past the end of the runway by roughly 40 feet, where it struck two runway end lights before coming to a halt on the prepared surface. There were no injuries reported among the five occupants, though the aircraft suffered minor damage.
Findings
- The primary cause of the emergency was a left-engine fire occurring shortly after departure.
- The runway excursion was influenced by the aircraft landing on a wet surface and the momentum following the single-engine touchdown.