TSB Reports Low Altitude and Aerodynamic Stall Combine in Fatal Air Accident in Buss Lakes, Saskatchewan

GATINEAU, QC, July 11, 2012 /CNW/ - The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) today released its investigation report (A11C0100) into the crash of a float-equipped De Havilland Beaver DHC-2 aircraft operated by Lawrence Bay Airways Ltd. The impact was severe and the five occupants were fatally injured.

On 30 June 2011, the pilot flew from Southend, Saskatchewan, to a remote fishing cabin near Buss Lakes to pick up four passengers. The aircraft departed Buss Lakes but then crashed along the shoreline of another lake about 2 nautical miles southeast of its point of departure.

"The aircraft entered an aerodynamic stall," said Peter Hildebrand, TSB's Manager, Regional Operations, Central. "The stall occurred at an altitude from which recovery was not possible."

An aerodynamic stall occurs when the airflow over the wings decreases to the point where the wing starts to lose lift. Recovery from an aerodynamic stall is accomplished by increasing airflow over the wings by adding engine power and returning to level flight or pitching the aircraft downward.

Investigation report A11C0100 is available on the TSB website at www.bst-tsb.gc.ca.

The TSB is an independent agency that investigates marine, pipeline, railway and aviation transportation occurrences. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

Visit the Transportation Safety Board's website (www.bst-tsb.gc.ca) for information about the new Watchlist which identifies the transportation safety issues that pose the greatest risk to Canadians. In each case, the TSB has found that actions taken to date are inadequate, and that industry and regulators need to take additional concrete measures to eliminate the risks.

TSB Media Relations
819-994-8053

The TSB is online at www.bst-tsb.gc.ca. Read the complete report there. Keep up to date on the latest from the TSB through RSS feeds and Twitter (@TSBCanada).