What happened
On 19 August 2013, a Douglas DC-3C, registered as C-GWIR, was conducting a scheduled passenger service from Yellowknife to Hay River in the Northwest Territories. Shortly after departing Runway 16 at 17:08 Mountain Daylight Time, an engine fire developed in the right engine.
In response to the emergency, the crew initiated an engine shutdown and began a low-altitude turn toward Runway 10. During this maneuver, the aircraft collided with a group of trees located southwest of the Runway 10 threshold. The plane subsequently touched down south of the runway with its landing gear in the retracted position. All 24 people on board—consisting of 3 crew members and 21 passengers—were able to evacuate the aircraft without injury. No fire occurred following the impact, though the emergency locator transmitter failed to trigger.
Findings
Investigations revealed that the aircraft's takeoff weight exceeded its maximum certified limit because an accurate weight and balance calculation had not been performed before departure. During the takeoff roll, a fatigue crack caused the failure of the number 1 cylinder in the right engine, which ignited the fire.
While the crew attempted to feather the right propeller, the mechanism failed to reach a fully feathered state, likely because of a seized bearing within the feathering pump. The resulting drag from the windmilling propeller, coupled with the overweight condition, prevented the aircraft from maintaining sufficient altitude to clear the terrain. Additionally, investigators noted that the operator's safety management system and regulatory oversight failed to detect or correct unsafe weight and balance practices.