Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain Accident in Rainbow Lake, Alberta (C-FZBW)

Incident Overview and Flight Details On a night departure from Rainbow Lake, Alberta, a Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain operated by Airco Aircraft Charters collided with trees and terrain shortly after takeoff. The aircraft, serial number 31-8152096, had been chartered by Northern Sky Aviation for a passenger route that included Edmonton City Centre Airport, High Level, Rainbow Lake, and Calgary. The initial leg from Edmonton to High Level and Rainbow Lake was uneventful. After a routine landing and turnaround, the aircraft departed Rainbow Lake at 1935 Mountain Standard Time under instrument flight rules (IFR) for Edmonton. Shortly after takeoff from runway 27, the aircraft struck trees and terrain approximately 3,000 feet west of the departure end of the runway. All nine occupants sustained minor injuries, and the aircraft was substantially damaged. ## Emergency Response and Recovery Immediately after evacuating the aircraft, a passenger from Rainbow Lake contacted local emergency services by cell phone. Volunteer ground rescue personnel organized a snowmobile search, and a helicopter was dispatched from the airport for an aerial search. The ground search was hampered by darkness, dense forest, cold temperatures, and deep snow. The helicopter pilot located the wreckage on the first pass over the departure corridor and then led ground rescuers to the accident site. Rescuers reached the site approximately one and one-half hours after the occurrence and assisted all survivors to the Rainbow Lake nursing station. ## Probable Cause and Contributing Factors The official investigation found that the aircraft was inadvertently flown into trees and the ground in controlled flight under dark ambient conditions during a night departure because a positive rate of climb was not maintained after takeoff. Contributing factors included the pilot’s concentration on blue line speed rather than maintaining a positive rate of climb, dark ambient conditions, a departure profile into rising terrain, an overweight aircraft, and crew resource mismanagement.