What happened
A scheduled round-trip cargo and passenger flight departed from Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, intended to visit Cartwright and Black Tickle. The mission involved transporting freight to Cartwright, along with additional passengers and goods destined for Black Tickle. At roughly 09:05, the pilot transmitted a radio message indicating the aircraft was positioned 60 nautical miles west of Cartwright; however, no subsequent communications were established.
After the flight failed to reach its destination, the aircraft was officially reported missing at 10:10. Search operations were significantly obstructed by adverse weather conditions. On May 28, 2010, around 22:00, investigators located the wreckage on a plateau within the Mealy Mountains. The impact and subsequent fire destroyed the aircraft, resulting in two fatalities. The search was further complicated because the aircraft lacked an operational emergency locator transmitter.
Findings
Investigation into the accident identified several critical factors. The pilot attempted to operate under visual flight rules (VFR) while entering worsening weather conditions within a mountainous area. Ultimately, the pilot lost visual contact with the ground, leading the aircraft to strike rising terrain while in level, controlled flight.
Additional contributing risks included:
- Failure to update altimeter settings when transitioning between high and low pressure areas, which reduced clearance from obstacles.
- The absence of a functioning emergency locator transmitter (ELT), which delayed the discovery of the wreckage.
- The lack of terrain awareness warning systems to alert the crew to approaching obstacles.