What happened
A private trip intended for leisure travel departed Windsor, Ontario, with the goal of reaching Killarney. The aircraft, a C-GSEV, was carrying a pilot and five passengers. After departing at 1105 EDT, the flight operated under instrument flight rules (IFR) and climbed to an altitude of 12,000 feet to clear a cloud layer.
During the flight, the pilot received instructions to descend to 4,000 feet following a change in altimeter settings. While descending, the pilot communicated with air traffic services and eventually cancelled the IFR flight plan. The last radar contact occurred at 1223:43, showing the aircraft slowing to 180 knots while descending through 3,000 feet, approximately 4 nautical miles south of Killarney airport.
Following the cancellation of the flight plan, no further communication was established. The aircraft was reported missing the next morning, leading to a search and rescue operation that located the wreckage later that afternoon. The C-GSEV had struck a mountain peak at 1,321 feet altitude while flying in near level flight. The impact resulted in six fatalities and the total destruction of the aircraft.
Findings
The investigation determined that the pilot was operating the C-GSEV within instrument meteorological conditions and inside uncontrolled airspace. The primary cause of the accident was that the aircraft was flying at an altitude below a safe terrain clearance level, leading to the collision with the mountain.