What happened
On the morning of the accident, a flight departed from the Air Saguenay base at Squaw Lake, located in the Schefferville region of northern Quebec. The De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter, registration C-FBSF, was operating a visual flight rules (VFR) mission toward Desbergères Lake, carrying six passengers and various hunting equipment. Approximately 30 minutes after takeoff, the flight encountered deteriorating weather conditions.
While navigating a narrow valley roughly 50 miles northwest of Schefferville, the pilot determined that the local ceiling was too low to safely clear the surrounding mountain peaks. During an attempt to execute a left turn, the aircraft entered a thick fog bank. Upon exiting the fog, the pilot identified an imminent collision with the terrain and attempted to pull up the nose to mitigate the impact force, aiming to land the aircraft on the mountainside.
The impact caused the floats to slide approximately 150 feet across the rocky terrain before separating from the airframe. The engine struck the ground, became detached, and rolled beneath the right side of the fuselage. The aircraft came to a stop on the mountainside at an altitude of 2,650 feet. Following the crash, the pilot and all six passengers successfully evacuated the aircraft without any injuries. However, a fire broke out during the evacuation, burning for 45 minutes and completely destroying the fuselage and wings.
Findings
- The pilot encountered low cloud ceilings that prevented the safe navigation of mountain peaks.
- The aircraft was unable to maintain altitude or clear terrain during a turn due to visibility loss in a fog bank.