Date & Time:
Sep 9, 1974 at 1215 LT
Type of aircraft:
Grumman G-21A Goose
Operator:
West Coast Air Services
Registration:
C-FPVE
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Scheduled Revenue Flight
Survivors:
No
Site:
Mountains
Schedule:
Tofino - Vancouver
MSN:
1200
YOM:
1942
Country:
Canada
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
1
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
10
Pax fatalities:
10
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
11
Captain / Total hours on type:
450
Circumstances:
The flight was a VFR scheduled flight from Tofino to Vancouver. The airplane was carrying 10 passengers and one pilot. While cruising southwest of Nanaimo, the pilot encountered marginal weather conditions with a cloud ceiling at 2,800 feet. The airplane entered a valley then the pilot attempted a steep right turn at 45° when the airplane impacted trees and crashed in hilly terrain some 5 km west of Mt Hooper. The airplane was destroyed and all 11 occupants were killed.
Crew:
J. R. Ferguson, pilot.
Crew:
J. R. Ferguson, pilot.
Probable cause:
It is concluded that:
- The pilot entered the valley at a lower altitude than normal due to a low ceiling and that he expected to find the pass open.
- He commenced his turn immediately on viewing the pass area; being at a high cruise speed and with flaps up his turning radius was high and brought him into a part of the valley where a 250° turn was necessary to leave the valley.
- The pilot lowered the nose of the aircraft during the turn to avoid a stall. The aircraft lost height due to the turn, and struck the ground after 250° of a turn was completed.
- The pilot entered the valley at a lower altitude than normal due to a low ceiling and that he expected to find the pass open.
- He commenced his turn immediately on viewing the pass area; being at a high cruise speed and with flaps up his turning radius was high and brought him into a part of the valley where a 250° turn was necessary to leave the valley.
- The pilot lowered the nose of the aircraft during the turn to avoid a stall. The aircraft lost height due to the turn, and struck the ground after 250° of a turn was completed.
Final Report:
C-FPVE.pdf164.79 KB
