ASN Aircraft accident de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter CF-MIT Abitibi Canyon near Fraserdale, ON
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Status:
Date:Saturday 4 September 1976
Time:13:37
Type:Silhouette image of generic DHC3 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
Operator:Austin Airways
Registration: CF-MIT
MSN: 372
First flight: 1960
Total airframe hrs:11573
Crew:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Passengers:Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9
Total:Fatalities: 10 / Occupants: 10
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Abitibi Canyon near Fraserdale, ON (   Canada)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Moosonee Airport, ON (YMO/CYMO), Canada
Destination airport:Timmins/Porcupine Lake Water Aerodrome, ON, Canada
Narrative:
The DHC-3 Otter was one of two floatplanes chartered for the Royal Commission on Electric Power Planning for Ontario.
The final leg of the flight was from Winisk to Timmins/Porcupine Lake Water Aerodrome, Ontario, Canada. The pilot diverted to Moosonee after encountering deteriorating weather. The next day, at 12:30, the flight departed for the two-hour VFR-flight to Timmins.
Because some of passengers had limited time to catch onwards flights from Timmins Airport, the pilot decided to take a direct route between the Moosonee and Timmins NDBs. He likely tried to navigate around areas of low clouds and high terrain. The aircraft followed the Abitibi River southward towards Abitibi Canyon Dam. The valley narrows and the terrain rises at this site of the power dam. It is believed that the pilot found the visibility decreasing rapidly in dense upslope fog in this vicinity. At 13:37 hours the aircraft struck the high tension electrical cables near the generating station and crashed to the ground.

Classification:
VFR flight in IMC
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain

Sources:
» dhc-3archive.com


Photos

photo of DHC-3-Otter-CF-MIT
accident date: 04-09-1976
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
registration: CF-MIT
photo of DHC-3-Otter-CF-MIT
accident date: 04-09-1976
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
registration: CF-MIT
photo of DHC-3-Otter-CF-MIT
accident date: 04-09-1976
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
registration: CF-MIT
photo of DHC-3-Otter-CF-MIT
accident date: 04-09-1976
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
registration: CF-MIT
photo of DHC-3-Otter-CF-MIT
accident date: 04-09-1976
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
registration: CF-MIT
photo of DHC-3-Otter-CF-MIT
accident date: 04-09-1976
type: de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
registration: CF-MIT
 

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Moosonee Airport, ON to Timmins/Porcupine Lake Water Aerodrome, ON as the crow flies is 313 km (196 miles).

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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