Date:	Tuesday 20 January 1998
Time:	night
Type:	Piper PA-31-350 Chieftain
Owner/operator:	Air Nunavut
Registration:	C-FDNF
MSN:	31-8252042
Year of manufacture:	1982
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	One mile from Sanikiluaq, Northwest Territories -   Canada
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Passenger
Departure airport:	Sanikiluaq, Northwest Territories (CYSK)
Destination airport:	Iqaluit, Northwest Territories (CYFB)
Investigating agency:	TSB
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
The Piper Navajo Chieftain PA31-350, serial number 31-8252042, was on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight from Sanikiluaq to Iqaluit, Northwest Territories. Two pilots and two passengers were on board. After checking the runway condition and weather, the pilot commenced his take-off run on runway 27.

After take-off, the pilot saw flames coming out of the right engine cowl. The right engine was shut down but the aircraft could not maintain a sufficient rate of climb, and it crashed on flat, snow-covered ground about one mile from the end of the runway. The aircraft sustained substantial damage on landing. After the aircraft came to a stop, the occupants evacuated via the left front door and walked back to the airport terminal for shelter and assistance.

When the aircraft crashed at the end of the runway, there was no one at the airport and no one was aware of the accident. The two pilots and two passengers had to walk across large snow-covered fields to reach the shelter of the terminal, which had been left open. The pilot-in-command then contacted the Flight Service Station (FSS) at Kuujjuarapik, Northwest Territories, and the municipal authorities to report the accident and request assistance.

There were no injuries. The occurrence happened at night in instrument meteorological conditions.

1. CADORS Number: 1998C0046
2. TSB Occurrence No: A98Q0007
3. http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/1998/a98q0007/a98q0007.pdf
4. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.baaa-acro.com/1998/archives/crash-of-a-piper-pa-31-navajo-chieftain-in-northwest-territories/]

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
09-May-2015 22:44	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative]
14-Oct-2017 19:40	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative]
14-Oct-2017 19:41	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]