What happened
A charter flight departing from Dragon Lake for Isaac Lake ended in a fatal accident approximately 12 miles northeast of Quesnel. The aircraft was transporting three passengers and one pilot at the time of the incident. During the flight, which was intended to travel 65 miles eastward, the pilot encountered adverse weather conditions characterized by low cloud cover and restricted visibility.
While navigating through these conditions, the seaplane collided with trees in a forested region. The impact caused the aircraft to catch fire, leading to its total destruction. There were four fatalities among the occupants of the aircraft.
Findings
Investigations into the crash revealed that the pilot was operating under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) while encountering Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC). A critical factor in the accident was that the aircraft was overweight at takeoff by 359 pounds, with the center of gravity positioned 1.5 inches beyond the aft limit. Even after 45 minutes of flight time, the plane remained 200 pounds above its maximum weight capacity, with the center of gravity still 0.5 inches past the permitted aft limit.