Investigators salvage parts of airplane downed in fatal Fort Simpson crash
TSB to examine aircraft to determine what went wrong
Investigators with the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) say they’ve now found the missing parts of the airplane that crashed near Fort Simpson over the summer and can now look them over to determine what caused the plane to break apart mid-flight.
On June 24, a plane assisting with wildfire response crashed, killing Olivier Lamy, an air attack officer, Ryan Beck, an air attack officer trainee, and pilot Robert MacLeod.
When investigators arrived at the site on June 26, they discovered the wreckage was missing its left wing and horizontal and vertical stabilizers in the tail section. They did not find those parts during an initial aerial search and said they wouldn’t be able to recover the parts until the area was safe from nearby wildfires to search.
In an update released Thursday, the TSB said investigators have now been able to recover the missing parts.
Crews found the aircraft’s left wing on July 26, buried under muskeg at the accident site, and the plane’s missing tail section on Sept. 23 in a small lake nearby.
TSB investigator Eli Pasquali says finding the tail is a major piece of the investigation.
“Now we have the complete aircraft in our possession, it will likely lead to answers about what happened during the accident,” said Pasquali. “Which will hopefully make the investigation a lot smoother.”
Investigators are now working to examine the aircraft, alongside Buffalo Airways Ltd., Transport Canada and engineering experts.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Northern airlines say feds should intervene if they want lower prices for the North, CBC North
Finland: Record December passenger numbers for airports in Arctic Finland, Eye on the Arctic
Greenland: New Copenhagen-Kangerlussuaq flight aims to boost Greenland tourism, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Air France launches flights to three destinations above the Arctic Circle, The Independent Barents Observer
Sweden: Northern Scandinavia to pioneer commercial flights with electric planes, Radio Sweden
United States: Charter plane crash kills 8 near remote radar site in western Alaska, The Associated Press
