Accident Overview
On an unspecified date, a Cessna 208 Caravan I (registration C-GMPB, serial number 20800082) equipped with amphibious floats was transporting members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Emergency Response Team. The aircraft departed from Teslin, Yukon, to a site on the south end of Teslin Lake, British Columbia. At about 1645 Pacific daylight time, three team members, two dogs, and gear were unloaded on a gravel bar across from the mouth of the Jennings River. The aircraft then departed for the Teslin airport at about 2355 with the pilot and one RCMP engineer on board.
Accident Sequence
Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft was observed to pitch up into a steep climb, stall, then descend at a steep angle into the water. The aircraft was destroyed, and the pilot and passenger were fatally injured.
Findings
Causes and Contributing Factors
The official investigation determined the following causes and contributing factors: 1. The pilot's decision to depart from the unlit location was likely the result of the many psychological and physiological stressors encountered during the day. 2. The pilot most likely experienced spatial disorientation—precipitated by local geographic and environmental conditions—and lost control of the aircraft.
Findings as to Risk
1. Without a safety management program that routinely disseminates safety information, RCMP pilots may be inadequately sensitized to the limitations of decision making and judgement. 2. The RCMP had no current, concise standard operating procedures (SOPs) for its non-604 operations. Without useable SOPs, the pilots in some instances operate without clearly established limits and outside of acceptable tolerances.