What happened
On a charter flight operating under visual flight rules, a Piper PA-31-350 Navajo, registered C-GHMK, departed from St. Andrews, Manitoba, destined for Berens River. The aircraft was carrying one pilot, ten passengers (including one infant), and a dog located in the rear baggage area.
At roughly 15:30 CDT, while flying at an altitude of approximately 2,500 feet, the aircraft was positioned about 30 nautical miles south of its destination when a loud noise originated from the left engine. The pilot observed smoke and visible deformation of the left engine cowling, which subsequently lost a portion of its structure during flight. This event caused the aircraft to yaw toward the left.
Following the mechanical failure, the pilot attempted to feather the left propeller but found the lever was stuck and could not be moved into the full feather position. Despite applying maximum power to the right engine, the aircraft was unable to maintain its flight altitude. The pilot notified company dispatch of his intention to perform an emergency landing. The aircraft subsequently performed a forced landing in a marshy, mossy area.
Findings
During the evacuation of the aircraft, five passengers suffered minor injuries. While all occupants and the animal survived the landing, a fire broke out following the impact. The fire resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft, leaving only the empennage portion behind the horizontal stabilizers intact. The primary factor in the loss of altitude was the inability to feather the left engine propeller following the engine malfunction.