2 fatalities

Fatal Firefighting Aircraft Crash Caused by Engine Malfunction (CF-NTL)

Snow Lake, CanadaFlight

On May 21, 1978, a Canadian Vickers PBV-1 Canso (OA-10 Canso) (registration CF-NTL) operated by The Flying Fireman was involved in an aviation accident near Snow Lake, Canada in flight. 2 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: It is believed that the right engine malfunction was probably caused by a momentary fuel starvation due to an asymmetric fuel load. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 4 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards

A firefighting aircraft crashed after a right engine malfunction during a low-altitude mission, killing both occupants. The probable cause was momentary fuel starvation due to an asymmetric fuel load.

Incident Overview and Outcome During a firefighting mission, the aircraft was operating at a low altitude when the right engine experienced a partial failure. The airplane subsequently lost altitude and crashed, resulting in the deaths of both occupants on board. The source does not specify the aircraft type, registration, operator, date, or exact location of the incident. ## Probable Cause and Contributing Factors The official investigation concluded that the right engine malfunction was probably caused by a momentary fuel starvation. This fuel starvation was attributed to an asymmetric fuel load, which likely disrupted the engine's fuel supply during the critical phase of the firefighting operation.