What happened
On 08 October 2000, a Short Brothers SC-7 Skyvan, registration SH1953, began a scheduled visual flight rules mission originating from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The flight plan for the Summit Air Charter aircraft included stops in Kugluktog and Port Radium, with a final return to Yellowknife. The crew consisted of the chief pilot and a cargo handler acting as co-pilot, accompanied by one passenger.
After the aircraft failed to reach its destination in Yellowknife as scheduled, search and rescue operations were initiated. During the night, emergency locator transmitter signals were detected near the Port Radium area. Although rescue teams located the signal source, heavy fog and freezing rain prevented them from visually identifying the wreckage immediately. The debris field was eventually discovered the following morning.
Investigation of the site revealed that the aircraft had collided with the crest of steep hills situated along the eastern shoreline of Great Bear Lake. The impact occurred roughly 2.9 nautical miles northeast of the Port Radium airstrip, at an elevation of approximately 440 feet above the lake surface. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft and three fatalities.
Findings
- The aircraft struck terrain while flying through difficult weather conditions.
- Severe visibility restrictions caused by fog and freezing rain were present during the search efforts.