What happened
On the morning of 28 July 2005, a Raytheon Beechcraft King Air 200, identified by registration C-FCGL, departed from Vancouver, British Columbia. The aircraft, operating under the callsign NTA202 for Northern Thunderbird Air, was conducting a visual flight rules flight toward Smithers, British Columbia. The flight was manned by a crew of two.
Shortly after departure, at approximately 0840 Pacific daylight time, the aircraft went missing. A search operation was initiated later that same day following the failure of the aircraft to reach its intended destination. On 30 July 2005, the wreckage was located within a narrow canyon situated at an altitude of roughly 3,900 feet above sea level, characterized by steep, rising terrain.
Upon discovery, it was determined that the impact had caused a post-crash fire that consumed the majority of the airframe. The two fatalities occurred during the accident. Due to the destruction of the emergency locator transmitter in the fire, no distress signals were received during the event.
Findings
Investigation of the site revealed that the wreckage was positioned in a high-terrain area. The fire resulting from the impact was intense enough to destroy the aircraft's signaling equipment, preventing the detection of an automated signal.