Introduction
On February 7, 2017, a Saab 340A aircraft, registration C6-HBW, operated by Western Air Ltd., was involved in a runway excursion at Grand Bahama International Airport (MYGF) in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas. The aircraft was performing scheduled commercial flight WST 708 from MYGF to Lynden Pindling International Airport (MYNN) in Nassau.
Flight History
The flight departed MYGF at approximately 5:24 PM local time. Two minutes and 14 seconds after the start of the takeoff roll, a failure of the left main and left essential electrical DC busses occurred. The compound electrical failures prompted the crew to return to MYGF. During the return, the crew attempted to diagnose the failures, but their inappropriate and untimely response allowed the situation to escalate into additional dependent failures. This ultimately resulted in the collapse of the left main landing gear and a subsequent runway excursion upon landing on runway 06.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was a Saab 340A, a twin-engine turboprop, registered as C6-HBW. It was operated by Western Air Ltd. at the time of the accident.
Injuries to Persons
There were 34 occupants on board: three crew members and 31 passengers. Three passengers sustained minor injuries.
Damage to Aircraft
The left main landing gear fully collapsed, and the right main landing gear partially collapsed. The nose gear collapsed aft and was partially separated from the aircraft. The aircraft came to rest on its left nacelle.
Meteorological and Flight Conditions
The flight was conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) and visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident.
Personnel Information
Both pilots held valid licenses and certifications issued by the Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority.
Probable Cause
The accident was attributed to the crew's inappropriate and untimely response to abnormal system failures, which led to additional compound failures and the eventual collapse of the left main landing gear and runway excursion.