Incident Overview

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%2C1334545Primary Cause
Heavy snow conditions and poor visibility during an overshoot.Heavy snow conditions and poor visibility during an overshoot.Share on: