What happened
A flight departing from Edmonton, destined for Fort St John and Fort Nelson, was carrying one pilot and two passengers traveling for auditing purposes. During the flight, the propeller on the left engine became detached from the aircraft. Upon realizing the engine had lost its propeller, the pilot notified Air Traffic Control that the aircraft was operating on a single engine and initiated an emergency diversion to Grande Prairie Airport.
Shortly after this event, the pilot lost control of the twin engine airplane. The aircraft impacted a snow-covered field in an inverted position and subsequently caught fire. There were three fatalities resulting from the impact.
Findings
Investigation of the wreckage revealed a fractured crankshaft within the port engine. Because the propeller was not located at the crash site, investigators concluded that the failure of the crankshaft likely caused the propeller to detach during flight.