What happened
During a scheduled passenger flight between Quebec City and Baie-Comeau, an ATR 42-300 operated by Inter-Canadien experienced a near-collision with ground equipment. While the aircraft was performing its takeoff roll on runway 06, a convoy of six snow removal vehicles was positioned on the same runway. As the aircraft reached rotation speed, the co-pilot observed the vehicles and performed a steeper-than-normal pitch-up maneuver to avoid them. The aircraft subsequently climbed over the convoy at an altitude of approximately 200 to 300 feet.
Earlier that morning, the snow removal convoy had been authorized to use the runway but had moved to the apron to continue work. After the ground controller notified the maintenance supervisor that the runway was available, the vehicles entered runway 06 via taxiway Alpha without requesting specific permission to proceed. The air traffic controller, unaware of the vehicles' presence due to heavy snow and limited visibility, cleared the aircraft for takeoff.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the communication protocols and visibility conditions at Jean-Lesage International Airport. At the time of the event, visibility was significantly reduced by blowing snow, making the runway and apron invisible from the control tower. The investigation established that the airport lacked Airport Surface Detection Equipment (ASDE), which could have identified the conflict.
Investigators examined the tower's tracking methods, noting that both the runway warning lights and the flight progress strips incorrectly indicated that the vehicles were still located on the apron. Furthermore, the investigation looked into the use of the maintenance frequency, which was congested, preventing the maintenance supervisor from hearing the aircraft's takeoff clearance.