What happened
On the day of the accident, a privately owned IAI Westwind II was performing a flight from Edmonton Municipal Airport in Alberta toward the Meadow Lake aerodrome in Saskatchewan. At the time of the flight, the destination area was experiencing reduced visibility and low cloud ceilings.
Upon arrival, the crew executed a straight-in instrument approach to runway 08. To prepare for a landing on runway 26, the pilots initiated a circling maneuver to the south of the airfield. While flying at an altitude of roughly 400 feet above ground level, the aircraft transitioned into a southeast heading.
As the aircraft reached a distance of approximately 2.5 miles from the aerodrome, it began performing several steep-banked rolling maneuvers. Following these movements, the aircraft lost altitude and impacted the terrain in a nose-high attitude with the right wing positioned slightly lower than the left. The impact generated extreme deceleration forces, causing the airframe to break into multiple pieces and rupturing the internal fuel tanks. This led to a significant post-crash fire that spread along the debris field. Emergency responders from Meadow Lake arrived at the site shortly after the impact. Both pilots were killed in the accident.
Findings
- The aircraft was operating in conditions characterized by low ceilings and limited visibility.
- The flight crew engaged in steep-banked rolling maneuvers shortly before the loss of altitude and subsequent ground impact.