What happened
On the afternoon of the accident, a flight departed from Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, carrying the pilot and four passengers. The flight plan included an intermediate stop in Charlottetown to disembark one passenger before proceeding to the final destination of Sango Bay. During the initial leg of the journey, radar tracking indicated the aircraft climbed to 2500 feet before settling into a cruise at 1900 feet and 150 knots. The aircraft arrived at Charlottetown at 1615.
Following the stop in Charlottetown, the aircraft prepared for departure to Sango Bay. The pilot initially signaled an intention to depart from Runway 22, but after beginning the takeoff roll, the maneuver was aborted. The pilot then communicated a new intention to depart from Runway 10. After taxiing to the threshold of the new runway, the aircraft began a takeoff roll without a full stop.
As the aircraft accelerated, it lifted off just before the end of the runway. The aircraft maintained a low altitude near the treetops, and the stall warning horn was heard intermittently during the flight. The aircraft was unable to clear the nearby hilly terrain and struck a road approximately 1.5 nautical miles from the runway exit. The crash occurred at approximately 1621 at an elevation of 440 feet. There were 5 fatalities resulting from the impact. A motorist discovered the wreckage and alerted emergency responders.
Findings
- The aircraft attempted a takeoff roll on Runway 10 without coming to a complete stop after the initial abort on the previous runway.
- The aircraft failed to gain sufficient altitude to clear the local terrain.