No fatalities

1981-03-16: Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3) (C-FIRW) — Air Inuit — Lake Bienville, Canada

Lake Bienville, CanadaLanding (descent or approach)

On March 16, 1981, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3) (registration C-FIRW) operated by Air Inuit was involved in an aviation accident near Lake Bienville, Canada during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The aircraft drifted into an ice hot spot due to the crew receiving inaccurate taxiing instructions. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 3 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 1781222836Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft became stuck in an ice hot spot during taxiing due to incorrect navigational information, resulting in no injuries.

What happened

During a taxiing maneuver, the crew of the aircraft encountered an area of unstable ice, often referred to as a hot spot. This excursion occurred because the flight crew was provided with inaccurate ground information regarding the condition of the surface.

Following the incident, the crew performed an emergency shutdown of the engines and successfully evacuated the aircraft through the primary door. There were no injuries reported during the event.

Findings

  • The primary factor in the excursion was the provision of incorrect information to the crew regarding the taxiway conditions.

After the incident, the aircraft was recovered by moving it onto thicker, more stable ice. The aircraft was subsequently purchased by a third party and operated until its registration was cancelled in 1982.

Probable cause

The aircraft drifted into an ice hot spot due to the crew receiving inaccurate taxiing instructions.