What happened
A single-engine turbine Otter equipped with amphibious floats departed Triumph Bay, British Columbia, for a visual flight rules flight to Campbell River. The flight carried one pilot and nine passengers. At approximately 19:01 PDT, the pilot contacted the Campbell River Flight Service Station to report being seven nautical miles northwest of the destination, though radar data placed the aircraft further away, near the Narrows.
Weather conditions at the time included a 300-foot overcast ceiling and two miles of visibility due to fog and light rain. The pilot requested special VFR clearance to enter the Campbell River control zone, but the clearance was delayed while an instrument flight rules aircraft completed its approach and landing. Once the clearance was granted at 19:04:45, the aircraft was positioned near Tyee Spit.
Radar tracking showed the aircraft turned south toward the airport, but at 19:07:40, it turned to a heading of 310 degrees magnetic. The aircraft flew parallel to the runway centerline, moving away from the airport with the localizer and non-directional beacon to its left. After passing the beacon, the aircraft turned left toward the localizer. The final radio contact occurred at 19:10:08, with the pilot reporting a position seven miles northwest of the airport. Shortly after, radar contact was lost.
The aircraft struck the northwest side of a 1,047-foot mountain at an elevation of approximately 860 feet while in straight-and-level flight. The accident resulted in eight fatalities and two serious injuries.
Findings
The aircraft's flight path deviated from the airport approach, moving outbound from the localizer and non-directional beacon before the final impact.