History of the Flight
The aircraft, a Shorts SD3-30 Variant 300 registered as C-FPQE, operated by the Gouvernement du Québec under private operation, was transporting Hydro-Québec employees. The flight departed Kuujjuarapik, Quebec, at about 1444 EST on 01 December 1993, for Umiujaq, Quebec, a distance of 86 nautical miles north. The pilot-in-command was flying. After take-off, the crew contacted Kuujjuarapik Flight Service Station (FSS) to file a flight notification and request weather information. They received three weather reports for Umiujaq from that FSS. The flight was conducted at 5,000 feet on an outbound track of 045 degrees from the Kuujjuarapik non-directional beacon. Thirty miles from Umiujaq, the crew commenced descent. Seven miles from the village, at 700 feet, the crew could see the ground.
The crew used a global positioning system waypoint to supplement visual navigation and continued a step-down procedure to about 200 feet above ground level on a heading of 25 degrees magnetic. At that altitude, visibility was reported over one and one-half miles, and the crew could recognize ground references. When turning onto the final approach to runway 21, the pilot-in-command initiated a turn with at least 35 degrees of bank angle, and the aircraft stalled. The pilot-in-command initiated a stall recovery and called for full power. The aircraft did not gain sufficient altitude to overfly the rising terrain, and it crashed.
Injuries
The two crew members and two of the 11 passengers sustained minor injuries. They were given first aid at the accident site by other passengers.
Crew Information
The pilot-in-command, seated in the left seat, had been qualified on the aircraft since November 1991 and had 500 flying hours on type. He was considered a competent pilot and had previously flown to Umiujaq on several occasions. The co-pilot had been qualified on the aircraft since November 1993; this was his first passenger-carrying flight.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was acquired by the Gouvernement du Québec in June 1991 and had logged 1,323 hours at the time of the accident. Weight and centre of gravity were within prescribed limits. All aircraft systems were functioning normally. The aircraft was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder. It was approved for flight in icing conditions. The wing de-icer boots were not used. The co-pilot reported a 1/8- to 1/4-inch-thick piece of ice on the unheated part of the windshield. The aircraft flight manual specified that de-icer boots should not be used unless ice buildup is 1/2-inch thick; early activation could cause ice bridging.
Meteorological Information
The crew obtained a weather briefing before departure. The area forecast for the region indicated broken ceiling at 3,000 feet, variable overcast at 18,000 feet, intermittent visibility three to six miles in light snow showers, with local ceilings 600 to 1,200 feet in snow showers. Surface winds 250 degrees true at 35 gusting to 45 knots, visibility half to three miles in snow and blowing snow. Terminal forecasts for adjacent airports indicated varying conditions.
At 1446 EST, the crew received the Umiujaq 1400 EST report: partly obscured, balloon-measured overcast ceiling at 100 feet, visibility one mile in light freezing drizzle, temperature/dew point -2°C, winds 230 magnetic at 20 knots. At 1448 EST, a special report gave indefinite ceiling 100 feet obscured, visibility three-quarters of a mile in light freezing drizzle, snow, and fog. At 1453 EST, another special report indicated partly obscured, balloon-measured overcast ceiling at 100 feet, visibility three-quarters of a mile in light freezing drizzle and light snow.
Board Analysis
The Board determined that the stalling speed of the aircraft increased due to ice on the leading edge of the wings and because the pilot made a steep turn; the aircraft stalled at an altitude from which the pilot was unable to recover. A contributing factor was the crew's decision to continue the visual approach into Umiujaq despite the weather conditions reported.