Incident
On final approach to runway 29, the crew of an aircraft attempted to drop a load that had jammed on the rear ramp. The aircraft banked left, causing the left wing to hit the ground. The aircraft went out of control and crashed. All seven crew members—six Canadians and one American—were killed.
Sequence of Events
The accident occurred during a LAPES (Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System) drop mission. The load became hung up on the rear ramp. While on final approach, the crew attempted to jettison the load. This action resulted in a left bank, ground contact, and loss of control. The aircraft crashed, resulting in the deaths of all seven occupants.
Probable Cause
The official investigation determined the probable cause: During a LAPES drop mission, the load got hung up, catastrophically changing the center of gravity to a point at which it was impossible to recover the aircraft.