Accident Details
At 1034 eastern daylight saving time, a Thunder Airlines Limited Beech A100 King Air (serial number B108) departed from Thunder Bay, Ontario, on a charter flight to Red Lake, Ontario. The aircraft carried two pilots and three passengers. Immediately after becoming airborne, the aircraft pitched nose-up to approximately 70 degrees, reaching an estimated height between 500 and 700 feet above ground level. It then rolled to the left, pitched steeply nose-down, and descended to the ground within the airport boundaries.
Occupants and Escape
The aircraft contacted the soft, level ground in a relatively level attitude and slid for about 500 feet before coming to rest in a wooded area beyond an elevated railroad bed and track. The cabin structure remained intact during the crash sequence, and all five occupants evacuated without sustaining any injuries.
Damage and Fire
The aircraft sustained damage beyond repair. A fuel-fed fire ensued but was rapidly extinguished by airport emergency response services personnel.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined that the flight crew lost pitch control of the aircraft on take-off when the stabilizer trim actuators became disconnected. The disconnection occurred because the actuators had not been properly reinstalled by an aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) during maintenance work conducted before the flight. Additionally, the crew chief responsible for the inspection did not ensure correct assembly of the stabilizer trim actuators, which contributed to the accident.