What happened
On a flight departing from Pemberton Airport, British Columbia, an aircraft was traveling under visual flight rules toward Edmonton, Alberta. The flight was a repositioning mission, with the pilot operating the aircraft alone. During the mission, the aircraft climbed eastward before turning northeast to navigate through a mountain pass.
The aircraft was specifically configured for air quality research tasks on behalf of Environment Canada’s Air Quality Research Section. To facilitate these surveys, the airframe featured significant modifications, including internal electronic systems, a camera hatch located on the belly, and specialized equipment pods suspended beneath the wings to hold various probes.
Approximately 30 minutes into the flight, personnel from the Coastal Fire Service identified the wreckage while responding to a spot fire within a fire zone. The impact was followed by a post-crash fire that destroyed much of the airframe. The pilot sustained fatal injuries in the accident.
Findings
No specific cause for the crash was provided in the initial report, though the wreckage was located within an active fire zone.