RED LAKE — A float plane stalled in mid-air while still ascending, leading to a crash that took the life of one passenger in Red Lake last summer.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has been investigating the plane crash, which happened on June 16, 2024 near the Red Lake (Howey Bay) Water Aerodrome. It involved a De Havilland DHC-2 Beaver aircraft, operated by Canadian Fly-In Fishing Service.
On Thursday, the TSB released its report.
Two passengers in the back seat suffered serious injuries in the crash and were airlifted to hospital in Thunder Bay. The TSB said one of them subsequently died. The pilot and two other passengers were reportedly evaluated at a local hospital and released, according to the report.
After takeoff, and once achieving the required air speed, the pilot began to climb, according to the TSB report. “Shortly thereafter, the pilot noticed the aircraft descending, accompanied by a decrease in airspeed,” the report said. “The pilot pushed forward on the control wheel and simultaneously added full power in an attempt to regain airspeed.”
The aircraft’s airspeed did not increase, and the pilot made a turn to the right, into the wind. At a height of approximately 80 feet above the water, the aircraft entered an aerodynamic stall, with a roll to the right.”
The plane hit the shoreline at 6:55 a.m., suffering significant damage. There was no fire after the crash, the TSB said.
The report said the pilot was properly certified and had the required underwater egress training. “There was no indication that the pilot’s performance was affected by medical or physiological factors,” the report said.
The TSB’s findings also showed “there were no recorded defects outstanding at the time of the occurrence and no indication that a component or system malfunction played a role in this occurrence.”
The TSB did note the plane was an estimated 334 pounds overweight “but within the correct centre of gravity range.”
The plane, built in 1963, did not have an aerodynamic stall warning system installed and had a shoulder harness/lap strap combination in the front seats, the TSB said, with lap straps only in the back. Given the age of the plane, the TSB said Transport Canada regulations didn’t mandate it to have a stall warning system or shoulder harnesses in the back seats.
The safety board said it disagrees with Transport Canada on both counts. The TSB said its investigations — particularly one in 2012 — found “the frequency and consequences of DHC-2 aircraft accidents following an aerodynamic stall are high,” and that “stalls encountered during critical phases of flight often have disastrous consequences.”
The warning systems likely wouldn’t prevent an accident in all cases, TSB said, but “a clear indication of an impending stall increases the pilot’s situational awareness and reduces the likelihood of a loss of control in flight.”
As for the seatbelts, the TSB noted that the two passengers who suffered serious injuries — including the one person who died — were in the back seats, with lap restraints only.
“The TSB considers that, given the additional hazards associated with accidents on water, such as an inability to exit the aircraft due to incapacitation, shoulder harnesses for all seaplane passengers will reduce the risk of an incapacitating injury, thereby improving the likelihood of exiting the aircraft,” the safety board’s report said.
The board report said regulators, manufacturers and owners of aircraft “may wish to consider” the installation of both stall warning systems and shoulder harnesses, even if current regulations don’t mandate them.
