Incident Overview

Date: Wednesday 23 November 1983
Aircraft Type: de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300
Owner/operator: Austin Airways
Registration Number: C-GTLA
Location: 0,4 km from Lansdowne House Airport, ON (YLH) – ÿ Canada
Phase of Flight: Approach
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 7
Component Affected: Aircraft structure (nose gear, fuselage, rear spars)Aircraft structure (nose gear, fuselage, rear spars)
Category: Accident
A DHC-6 Twin Otter passenger plane, operated by Austin Airways, crashed near Lansdowne House Airport, ON (YLH) resulting in multiple fatalities. Two crew members and five passengers were on board, with four passengers suffering asphyxiation. The aircraft was on a domestic flight from Sandy Lake Airport, ON (ZSJ), experiencing poor visibility due to heavy snow. The pilot initiated an overshoot and then flew a second circuit without losing sight of the airfield. The aircraft turned toward the runway, and the pilot reported ‘runway in sight’ before encountering whiteout conditions and moving to advance power levers. Impact occurred with snow-covered ice, resulting in the nose gear assembly breaking off, the aircraft rotating 180 degrees counterclockwise, striking large rocks, and stopping 600 feet short of the runway. The rear spars were separated from the fuselage, fuel tanks ruptured, and the fuel lines broken. A fire erupted, and the report lacked a Probable Cause statement.A DHC-6 Twin Otter passenger plane, operated by Austin Airways, crashed near Lansdowne House Airport, ON (YLH) resulting in multiple fatalities. Two crew members and five passengers were on board, with four passengers suffering asphyxiation. The aircraft was on a domestic flight from Sandy Lake Airport, ON (ZSJ), experiencing poor visibility due to heavy snow. The pilot initiated an overshoot and then flew a second circuit without losing sight of the airfield. The aircraft turned toward the runway, and the pilot reported ‘runway in sight’ before encountering whiteout conditions and moving to advance power levers. Impact occurred with snow-covered ice, resulting in the nose gear assembly breaking off, the aircraft rotating 180 degrees counterclockwise, striking large rocks, and stopping 600 feet short of the runway. The rear spars were separated from the fuselage, fuel tanks ruptured, and the fuel lines broken. A fire erupted, and the report lacked a Probable Cause statement.

Description

A DHC-6 Twin Otter passenger plane, operated by Austin Airways, was damaged beyond repair in an accident near Lansdowne House Airport, ON (YLH). There were 2 crew and 5 passengers on board of which 4 passengers were asphyxiated in the post crash fire. The 1 surviving passenger suffered serious injuries and the crew escaped with minor or no injuries. The airplane operated on a domestic flight from Sandy Lake Airport, ON (ZSJ). Visibility at Lansdowne House was poor due to heavy snow snowfall After executing an overshoot, the captain flew a second circuit without losing sight of the airfield. The aircraft turned toward the runway. The pilot called ‘runway in sight’ and shortly thereafter, the co-pilot noticed the radio altimeter pass through 200 feet. Moments before impact, the captain reported to the 1st officer that he was encountering whiteout conditions and moved to advance the power levers. The aircraft was in line with the runway when it struck the snow-covered ice surface of the lake, about 1200 feet short of the runway threshold. The nose gear assembly was broken off at first impact. The aircraft then slid and rotated 180 degrees counter clockwise, struck large rocks on the shore and stopped 600 feet short of the runway. The rear spars of each wing were separated from the fuselage; the fuel tanks were ruptured and the fuel lines were broken. Fire broke out on impact. The final report did not contain a Probable Cause statement.

Source of Information

https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zX4xAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UqUFAAAAIBAJ&dq=austin%20airways&pg=5257%2C1334545https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zX4xAAAAIBAJ&sjid=UqUFAAAAIBAJ&dq=austin%20airways&pg=5257%2C1334545

Primary Cause

Heavy snow conditions and poor visibility during an overshoot.Heavy snow conditions and poor visibility during an overshoot.

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