What happened
On 09 August 2024, a Cessna 337H, operated by Sasair Inc., was performing a visual flight rules flight from Deer Lake Airport, Newfoundland and Labrador, toward Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport, Nova Scotia. The aircraft was carrying one pilot and three passengers. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft departed following another company aircraft that was traveling on the same destination route.
After progressing approximately 35 nautical miles in a southwesterly direction, the aircraft altered its flight path to descend into a valley. During this maneuver, the aircraft struck rising terrain at the end of the valley. The impact destroyed the aircraft, though no fire occurred after the crash. The emergency locator transmitter was triggered, and the pilot of the preceding aircraft alerted authorities at CYDF to the accident.
The investigation
The TSB investigation focused on the flight path changes and the circumstances leading to the terrain impact. The investigation established that the aircraft was flying under visual flight rules and had intentionally moved to a lower altitude within a valley prior to the collision.