Accident Cessna 208B Grand Caravan C-FKAB,

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 322756

Date:	Thursday 11 September 2003
Time:	21:30
Type:	Cessna 208B Grand Caravan
Owner/operator:	Wasaya Airways
Registration:	C-FKAB
MSN:	208B0305
Year of manufacture:	1992
Total airframe hrs:	16770 hours
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	10 km NW of Summer Beaver, ON - Canada
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Pickle Lake Airport, ON (YPL/CYPL)
Destination airport:	Summer Beaver Airport, ON (SUR)
Investigating agency:	TSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
Wasaya Flight 125 departed Pickle Lake (YPL) at 20:57 with an estimated arrival time of 21:36 at Sumer Beaver (SUR). The pilot flew a direct visual flight rules (VFR) routing to Summer Beaver at 3500 feet asl under night visual meteorological conditions (VMC). Ten minutes before landing at Summer Beaver, the pilot broadcast his intentions and activated the aircraft radio control of aerodrome lighting (ARCAL) of the airfield. Witnesses on the ground saw the aircraft's lights as it joined the downwind leg of the airport traffic circuit. During the approach the airplane lost control and struck heavily wooded terrain in a near vertical attitude with the wings level.

FINDINGS AS TO CAUSES AND CONTRIBUTING FACTORS:
The aircraft departed controlled flight and struck terrain for undetermined reasons.

FINDINGS AS TO RISK:
The company's flight-following procedures for flights operating in remote areas were impractical and were not consistently applied; this could compromise timely search and rescue operations following an accident.

OTHER FINDINGS:
The aircraft did not carry flight recorders. Lack of information about the cause of this accident affects TSB's ability to identify related safety deficiencies and to issue safety communications intended to prevent accidents that could occur under similar circumstances.

Accident investigation: