Flight Details
At 0525 eastern daylight time, a Piper Navajo PA-31, registration C-GUVK, departed Dorval Airport, Quebec, on a three-day charter flight with two pilots and two passengers. After a stop at Rouyn, Quebec, the aircraft proceeded to La Grande Rivière for a VOR/DME approach to runway 31 but could not land due to weather. A missed approach was executed and the aircraft diverted to the alternate airport, La Grande 4.
Sequence of Events
About 15 nautical miles north of La Grande 3 Airport, the engines misfired. The crew reselected the fuel selector, and the engines operated normally for approximately five minutes before stopping again. An emergency was declared, and the crew proceeded toward La Grande 3 Airport for an LOC/DME approach to runway 29. The aircraft broke through the cloud layer at about 300 feet above ground level and struck trees beside a small lake, four nautical miles southeast of La Grande 3 Airport. The accident occurred at 0957. One passenger sustained minor leg injuries; the other occupants were uninjured. Rescue by helicopter occurred approximately 45 minutes later. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Crew and Company Information
The pilot-in-command held a Commercial Pilot Licence (since 1996) with about 1560 hours total time, including 60 hours on type, and an Instructor Rating. He was employed by the company for a few weeks; this was his first flight for the company as pilot-in-command and first with a co-pilot. The co-pilot held a Commercial Pilot Licence (since June 1997) with about 265 hours total time, including about 15 hours on type; this was his fourth flight for the company and first in northern Quebec. The company did not provide cockpit resource management courses, and the crew had not received training on Standard Operating Procedures detailing duties. Work and rest schedules showed no indication of fatigue.
Flight Planning and Fuel Management
The pilot-in-command prepared the flight plan using FliteStar software, assisted by the acting chief pilot, who instructed him to include refuelling at Rouyn, La Grande Rivière, and Kuujjuaq. The pilot did not refer to aeronautical charts. The co-pilot was off duty the day before and briefly reviewed the flight itinerary before departure. The flight from Dorval to Rouyn was completed without incident. At Rouyn, the crew allowed passengers to board but did not refuel as planned. En route to La Grande, weather was reported as sky obscured at 300 feet, visibility 1¼ nautical miles. At La Grande, conditions were ceiling 200 feet, visibility 1 nautical mile.
Fuel Exhaustion
According to the company, maximum endurance is about 4½ hours. Fuel exhaustion occurred after 4 hours 39 minutes of flight. Regulations require sufficient fuel to fly to destination, execute an approach or missed approach, fly to alternate, and land with 45 minutes reserve. The pilot-in-command did not refuel at Rouyn, believing he had enough fuel. He thought the fuel gauges were defective because they read slightly below full after fuelling at Dorval, and he did not calculate en-route fuel consumption. Neither crew member used the flight plan documents or checklist during the flight.
Landing
After the missed approach at La Grande, the engines misfired. The crew realized they would run out of fuel. They attempted to land at La Grande 3 but struck trees beside a lake short of the runway.