Accident Overview
A wheel-ski equipped airplane operating as Air Tindi flight TID601 departed Margaret Lake at 1205 local time, en route to Lac de Gras. The aircraft carried eight passengers and two crew members. Upon arrival over the Lac de Gras road camp, the flight crew conducted four approaches toward the desired landing area on the frozen lake surface.
Sequence of Events
During the approaches, the aircraft descended at times below 50 feet above ground level. On the fourth and final approach attempt, the aircraft descended below 50 feet above ground level, and the flight crew lost visual contact with the terrain. At 1245 local time, the aircraft impacted the terrain 1,850 meters southeast of the desired landing site.
Injuries and Damage
Two passengers sustained serious injuries and were unable to egress from the aircraft. The remaining occupants, including one passenger who was ejected from the aircraft, sustained minor injuries. The airplane was damaged beyond repair.
Probable Cause
The official investigation identified several findings as causes and contributing factors: the oversight mechanisms employed by Air Tindi were unable to detect the drift away from standard operating procedures, and deviations by pilots, including the conduct of improvised instrument approaches in instrument meteorological conditions, were not addressed; the flight crew’s decision to depart on the day’s flights and continue flying in deteriorating weather was influenced by both their past successful experiences in similar conditions and by a plan continuation bias, leading to a reduced perception of risk associated with continuing this visual flight rules flight in instrument meteorological conditions; the flight crew’s overreliance on electronic flight bags for situational awareness contributed to their decision to continue operating visually in instrument meteorological conditions; and while conducting an improvised instrument approach in an area of reduced visibility, the flight crew intentionally descended below 50 feet above ground level without sufficient visual reference to the surface, and the aircraft impacted rising terrain.