What happened
During a takeoff from runway 36 at CFS Val d'Or, an AAC aircraft carrying 18 people—including 14 children and a chaperone—experienced an engine fire. The flight crew included a pilot, co-pilot, and a flight engineer. As the aircraft passed the control tower, air traffic control observed a fireball originating from the left engine. Although the crew managed to extinguish the fire and shut down the affected engine, the aircraft began a descent and a left turn toward the disabled engine.
The aircraft disappeared behind a local landmark known as Lang’s Hill, northwest of the end of runway 18. The impact occurred in dense, high trees, causing the wreckage to slide and come to rest at a 45-degree angle. Despite the severity of the crash, all 18 souls on board were successfully rescued within 15 minutes of the impact by the station's emergency response teams.
Findings
While the crew successfully extinguished the engine fire, the aircraft entered a left turn toward the shutdown engine, leading to the loss of control and subsequent collision with trees. The wreckage was found with the nose split open. The pilots were located outside the main fuselage near their respective wings, while the flight engineer remained strapped to his seat in the nose section. All passengers and crew survived the accident; the most significant injury was a vertebral injury to one pilot that resulted in no permanent disability, while others suffered only minor abrasions.