What happened
On July 3, 2013, at approximately 14:15 ADT, a Bombardier CL-415 aircraft, registered as C-FIZU, departed from Wabush, Newfoundland and Labrador. Operating as Tanker 286 for the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador Air Services Division, the aircraft was en route to assist with a local forest fire.
During the mission, the aircraft landed on Moosehead Lake to perform a water-scooping operation. Approximately 40 seconds after touching the water, the captain attempted a turn to the left. During this maneuver, the pilot lost control of the plane, resulting in a water-loop. The aircraft eventually came to a stop in an upright position, though it remained partially underwater.
Following the incident, the 2 crew members were able to exit the cabin and waited on the upper surface of the wing until a rescue boat arrived. While the aircraft was destroyed, there were no injuries reported among the crew.
Findings
Investigation into the event noted that the onboard 406-megahertz emergency locator transmitter failed to activate because the forward impact force was too low to trigger the device.