What happened
On the morning of 20 November 2014, a Cessna 208B Caravan operated by Air Tindi Ltd. departed from Yellowknife Airport, Northwest Territories. The flight, identified as Discovery Air flight DA223, was traveling toward Fort Simpson under instrument flight rules. The departure had been delayed from the previous evening due to freezing drizzle reported at the destination.
While climbing to an altitude of 8,000 feet, the aircraft encountered severe icing conditions. In response to the weather, the pilot initiated a return to the departure airport. During this descent and return leg, the aircraft struggled to maintain its flight altitude. At approximately 0721, the aircraft struck the frozen surface of the North Arm of Great Slave Lake, roughly 18 nautical miles west of Yellowknife. Upon impact, the plane hit a rock outcropping, resulting in significant structural damage to the airframe.
Despite the impact, there were no injuries reported among the 6 occupants (the pilot and 5 passengers). Following the crash, the pilot used a satellite phone to notify Air Tindi. Although the emergency locator transmitter failed to trigger automatically upon impact, the pilot activated it manually. All passengers and the pilot were successfully rescued about four hours after the accident.
Findings
- The flight encountered icing conditions during the climb, which forced the decision to return to Yellowknife.
- The aircraft was unable to maintain its assigned altitude during the return flight.