What happened
During an approach to Paulatuk Airport, the aircraft encountered challenging weather characterized by blowing snow and significant crosswinds. While the pilot was transitioning from visual flight rules to instrument flight rules on short final, a decision was made to execute a go-around. During this maneuver, the left wing made contact with the ground. The impact caused the aircraft to lose control and veer toward the left before coming to a stop.
The accident resulted in 2 fatalities (the pilot and one passenger) and 10 injuries among the other occupants on board.
Findings
Investigations into the accident identified several contributing elements. The runway at Paulatuk is not aligned with the prevailing wind directions, and a lack of specific aerodrome forecasting from Environment Canada contributed to the difficulty in managing conditions. As the aircraft was landing, an increase in crosswinds from the right side further degraded visibility due to blowing snow.
Crucially, the investigation concluded that the aircraft was overloaded by 840 lbs, which, combined with the loss of control during the transition between flight rules and the go-around attempt, led to the wing strike.