What happened
On the morning of 26 October 2019, a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter operated by Blue Water Aviation departed from the Bissett Water Aerodrome in Manitoba. The aircraft, registered as C-GBTU, was carrying a pilot, two passengers, and roughly 800 pounds of cargo. The flight was intended to travel to Little Grand Rapids, located on the eastern side of Family Lake.
During the approach phase to the destination, at approximately 0845 Central Daylight Time, a catastrophic structural failure occurred when the right wing detached from the fuselage. Following this separation, the aircraft pitched into a nose-down position and crashed into the surface of the lake. The impact resulted in the destruction of the aircraft and the deaths of all three people on board.
Findings
- The primary factor in the crash was the separation of the right wing from the aircraft fuselage during the approach to the lake.