What happened
During a departure from runway 29 at Campbell River Airport, a twin-engine aircraft entered a right-hand turn while climbing to an altitude of approximately 200 feet. During this maneuver, the aircraft lost altitude, causing the right wing to impact trees. The wreckage came to rest roughly 1,350 meters beyond the runway threshold, approximately 100 meters from the initial impact site. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft and three fatalities.
Prior to the accident, the aircraft had experienced mechanical issues on the ground. During the startup of the right engine, observers noted a rumbling noise, prompting the pilot to shut the engine down. Following this, both engines were restarted for departure. The flight crew initially aborted the first takeoff attempt and returned to the ramp to conduct inspections of the engine and propeller governors for approximately 18 minutes. During these ground tests, the right propeller was observed to stop at least once while the left engine continued to operate normally.
Findings
Evidence from the ground operations indicates that the aircraft experienced intermittent propeller failure on the right engine during pre-departure testing, specifically involving the propeller stopping while the engine remained running.