Nighttime Crash Near Oreway, Labrador: Starboard Engine Failure in Icing Conditions (CF-GVZ)

Flight Details and Initial Incident On 16 January, the aircraft departed Mont Joli, Quebec, for Knob Lake, arriving at 2002 hours Atlantic Standard Time. The following day, at 2202 hours, it took off from Knob Lake for Seven Islands via Oreway, Labrador, carrying a crew of three and fifteen passengers. The flight proceeded normally until 2312 hours, when heavy to moderate rime ice was encountered, prompting a climb to 10,000 feet. At 2335 hours, the oil pressure on the starboard engine dropped to 40 pounds per square inch, and the warning light illuminated at 2336 hours, leading to the feathering of the starboard propeller. The engine was restarted for approximately ten minutes before stopping again. With the aircraft gradually losing altitude on one engine and hills ahead, the captain decided to return to Oreway. At 0052 hours, the aircraft crashed to the ground about 2,000 feet southeast of Oreway railway station during an attempted forced landing. The captain, co-pilot, and one passenger died in the accident, while the stewardess died of injuries a few days later. Two passengers were seriously injured, and some of the remaining passengers sustained minor injuries. ## Probable Cause and Contributing Factors The official findings determined that the aircraft was crash-landed at night due to an inability to maintain height caused by the failure of the starboard engine under icing conditions while the aircraft was heavily loaded. Additionally, the pilot committed an error by taking off from Knob Lake at a weight calculated to be 729 pounds in excess of the maximum permitted for that airfield.