What happened
On April 17, 2023, at approximately 18:49 UTC, a Pilatus PC12/47E, registered as C-GMPX, was involved in an accident shortly after departing Whitehorse/Eric Nielsen International Airport in Canada. The aircraft, operated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, was performing a state mission under instrument flight rules (IFR) en route to Yellowknife. During the initial climb phase following takeoff from runway 31L, the pilot declared an emergency and initiated an immediate return to the departure airport.
During this aborted departure attempt, the aircraft struck the ground within the airport perimeter. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the airframe.
The investigation
The investigation into the occurrence was handled by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB). The inquiry focused on the sequence of events following the pilot's declaration of an emergency and the circumstances leading to the terrain collision within the airport boundaries.