What happened
A charter flight operating between Pickle Lake and Summer Beaver, Ontario, disappeared during a night flight under visual flight rules. The aircraft was carrying one crew member and seven passengers when it departed for its destination at an altitude of 3,500 feet.
As the flight approached Summer Beaver, it entered the landing circuit on the downwind leg for Runway 17. After the aircraft failed to arrive at the destination, personnel at the Summer Beaver site contacted flight dispatchers in Pickle Lake to check on the flight's status. Following an unsuccessful attempt to establish radio contact, the aircraft was officially declared missing.
Search and rescue teams eventually located the wreckage in a forested region situated approximately three nautical miles northwest of Summer Beaver. The impact was followed by a significant post-crash fire that heavily damaged the aircraft. There were eight fatalities among the occupants of the flight.
Findings
Investigators determined that the aircraft was destroyed by a post-crash fire that nearly consumed the wreckage.