Incident Overview
On a flight from Kuujjuarapik to Umiujaq, Quebec, a twin-engine aircraft transporting Hydro-Québec employees stalled during the final approach and crashed. The aircraft departed Kuujjuarapik at approximately 1444 Eastern Standard Time for an 86-nautical mile trip north to Umiujaq. According to the investigation report, the crew filed a flight notification and received three weather reports for Umiujaq from the Kuujjuarapik Flight Service Station.
Flight and Descent
The flight was conducted at 5,000 feet on an outbound track of 045 degrees from the Kuujjuarapik non-directional beacon (NDB). Thirty miles from Umiujaq, the crew began a descent. Seven miles from the village, the aircraft was at 700 feet and the ground was visible. The crew used a GPS waypoint to supplement visual navigation, then continued a step-down procedure to approximately 200 feet above ground level on a heading of 25 degrees magnetic. At that altitude, visibility was reported by the crew as over one and one-half miles, and they could recognize ground references for positioning the aircraft.
The Stall
While turning onto the final approach for runway 21, the pilot-in-command initiated a turn with at least 35 degrees of bank angle. The aircraft stalled. A stall recovery was initiated, and full power was called for, but the aircraft did not gain sufficient altitude to clear the rising terrain and crashed.
Injuries and Response
The two crew members and two passengers sustained minor injuries. They received first aid at the accident site from other passengers.
Probable Cause
According to the investigation, the probable cause was that the stalling speed of the aircraft increased due to ice on the leading edge of the wings and because the pilot made a steep turn, resulting in a stall at an altitude from which the pilot was unable to recover. A contributing factor was the crew's decision to continue the visual approach into Umiujaq despite the weather conditions reported.