AT43, vicinity Fond-du-Lac SK Canada, 2017

Summary

On 13 December 2017, an ATR 42-300 crashed shortly after making a night take-off from Fond-du-Lac. The aircraft was destroyed by the impact but there was no fire and only one subsequent fatality amongst the occupants. The Investigation is ongoing but preliminary information has been released which confirms that both engines were operating at impact and that a significant wreckage path through trees led up to the impact site.

Event Details
When	December 2017
Actual or Potential Event Type
Day/Night	Night
Flight Conditions	Not Recorded

Flight Details
Aircraft	ATR ATR-42-300/320
Operator	West Wind Aviation
Domicile	Canada
Type of Flight	Public Transport (Passenger)
Origin	Fond-du-Lac Airport
Intended Destination	Stony Rapids Airport
Take off Commenced	Yes
Flight Airborne	Yes
Flight Completed	No
Flight Phase	Climb
	ICL / ENR

Location - Airport
Airport vicinity	Fond-du-Lac Airport

EPR
Tag(s)	Emergency Evacuation, Evacuation Injuries

Outcome
Damage or injury	Yes
Aircraft damage	Hull loss
Injuries	Most or all occupants
Fatalities	Few occupants (1)

Investigation Type
Type	Independent

Description

On 13 December 2017, ATR 42-320 (C-GWEA) being operated by West Wind Aviation on a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Fond-du-Lac to Stony Rapids as flight WEW282 descended into trees shortly after making a night take-off from Fond du Lac and was destroyed by the subsequent terrain impact. Seven of the 25 occupants sustained serious injuries from which one subsequently died and the other 18 occupants all sustained minor injuries.

The wreckage of the front of the aircraft. [Reproduced from the Canadian TSB Investigative Update]

Investigation

An Investigation is being carried out by the Canadian TSB. The FDR and CVR have been recovered and relevant data has been successfully downloaded from both the FDR and CVR.

The TSB has disclosed that the aircraft collided with trees and then terrain less than a mile west of the end of Runway 28 at Fond du Lac, from which it had just taken off, with both engines still operating at impact. There was no post crash fire. The position of final impact was close to the extended centreline of the take-off runway and a “wreckage path” at least 250 metres long has been found leading to the final impact position. The aircraft in its final resting position was observed to have been “tilted steeply to the right” with its left side appearing to be the most damaged and the position of the fuselage rupture corresponding to approximately that of seat row 3.

As of 27 December, the on-site phase of the Investigation was coming towards a close and removal of the aircraft wreckage to a secure location was imminent. Some components with NVM which may contain useful information have been recovered from the wreckage and a UAS has been employed to record site evidence.

The wreckage of the rear of the aircraft. [Reproduced from the Canadian TSB Investigative Update]

Editor's Notes

1. The Aerodrome Chart current at the time of the accident includes a note to the effect that runway 28 Departures are predicated on being able to climb visually “over the airport to 1700 feet before proceeding on course”. Although no official weather reports are quoted for Fond du Lac around the time of the accident, the weather conditions at the flight’s destination, about 65 nm to the east, were sub zero temperatures with a surface visibility of 2-3 statute miles and a cloud base of 1700-1900 feet.
2. On 22 December, 2017, Transport Canada announced that it had suspended West Wind Aviation’s Air Operator Certificate which action “prohibits the company from providing commercial air services”. It explained that “the department took this serious action in the interest of public safety because the department identified deficiencies in the company’s Operational Control System” and noted that “an Operational Control System ensures that a company’s day-to-day actions are compliant with safety requirements for things such as, for example, the dispatching of personnel and aircraft”.

An Initial Investigation Update was released on 27 December 2017. At that date, it was noted that West Wind Aviation was not flying its remaining ATR aircraft “while it conducts an internal review of its operations”.