Leaving known ice on plane caused fatal 2017 West Wind Aviation crash in northern Sask., investigation finds
CBC
Investigators say a Saskatchewan airline's decision to take off from a remote northern community with ice on the plane caused the aircraft to crash just seconds later.
One passenger died in hospital two weeks later.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) on Thursday released its findings into the West Wind Aviation flight out of Fond-du-Lac, Sask., that crashed on Dec. 13, 2017.
Ice had formed on the plane during its prior flight from Prince Albert, Sask., the agency's investigation found.
WATCH | TSB explains its findings in the crash investigation:
Though the first officer completed an inspection of the plane and told the captain about the ice, the plane took off without being de-iced.
"The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) determined that the lack of adequate de-icing equipment and the practice of taking off without de-icing led to the fatal [crash]," according to a news release summarizing the TSB's findings.
Early in its investigation, the TSB found that the only de-icing equipment available to the airline at the Fond-du-Lac airport consisted of two ladders, a hand-held spray bottle with electric blanket and wand, and a container of de-icing fluid.
The equipment, and the first officer's inspection of the plane — without the use of a flashlight in a dimly lit area where planes wait before taking off or after landing — were inadequate, the TSB found.
The TSB is holding a news conference at 11 a.m. to further discuss its findings.
Saskatoon-based West Wind Aviation — now known as Rise Air after an early 2021 rebranding — will hold its own news conference at 2 p.m. CST.
Read the TSB's full report into the crash below or click here.