Mid-Air Collision Between CF-HTN and CF-IDS During Firefighting Operations

Incident Overview and Flight Paths On the day of the accident, the aircraft registered CF-HTN completed a water drop on a wildfire located at 60° 33' N and 113° 03' W. After the drop, CF-HTN flew to the vicinity of a helicopter that had crashed earlier that day, approximately 1.5 miles west of the fire. The aircraft circled the helicopter wreckage to the right and reported the crash to Fort Smith aeradio on VHF frequency 122.2. CF-HTN continued circling the wreckage, widening the circle to the northwest on the final circuit. During this maneuver, its flight path changed to a near-direct path over the helicopter from the north, where it collided with CF-IDS. CF-IDS, a Canadian Vickers PBV-1A Canso operated by North Canada Air (Norcanair), was also engaged in water bombing the same fire. It approached the fire from the south, dropped its water load, and entered a climbing left turn. During this turn, CF-IDS collided with CF-HTN. ## Damage and Crash Sequence Physical evidence at the scene indicated that the left wing of CF-HTN struck the right wing of CF-IDS. The impact broke off one half of the right wing of CF-IDS, causing the aircraft to roll to the right and crash. The collision also broke off the outer one-third of the left wing of CF-HTN. Additionally, the float and tip portion of CF-IDS's wing struck the left stabilizer and elevator of CF-HTN, breaking these controls off the aircraft. CF-HTN rolled to the left and crashed. Both airplanes were destroyed, and all four crew members were killed. The crew of CF-HTN included pilot Gordon Frederick Hales and copilot Peter Kuryluk. ## Investigation Findings Investigators found no evidence of evasive action by either crew or that either crew saw the other aircraft. The official findings stated that there was no malfunction in either aircraft. This conclusion was based on a lack of radio messages indicating problems and witness evidence, with technical investigation excluding malfunction as a likely factor. The investigation noted that concern for an injured helicopter pilot caused one bomber to alter its circuit in the fire area, resulting in the two bombers being on converging paths. None of the crew members saw the other bomber in sufficient time to take effective evasive action, and the collision occurred at a time when all four crew members would be busy.