The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its investigation report into the fatal 2013 crash of a Bearskin Airlines flight near the Red Lake airport.
Investigators found that the crew of the Fairchild SA 227 Metro III experienced a near total loss of power in the left engine at 500 feet above ground level due to a failure of an internal engine component.
The crew was unable to identify the nature of
the engine malfunction, preventing them from taking timely action to
control the aircraft.
Two members of the flight crew and three of
five passengers died when the aircraft crashed just south of the
airport near a highway.
On Nov. 10 2013, the aircraft was on final
approach to the airport, five miles out, when the crew declared an
emergency. The aircraft struck trees and power lines, and was
destroyed by a post-impact fire. Two passengers escaped with non-life
threatening injuries.
In their report, investigators said the
aircraft's landing configuration generated higher drag which,
combined with the engine malfunction, resulted in the aircraft losing
airspeed in an asymmetric power state. As the aircraft slowed, the
crew lost control at an altitude from which a recovery was not
possible.
After the incident, the TSB said Bearskin revised its
single engine and engine failure procedures to ensure that the
propeller on a malfunctioning engine does not cause excessive
drag.
Honeywell, the engine manufacturer, increased the inspection
frequency on fuel nozzles and clarified inspection procedures.
Transport Canada issued a Civil Aviation Safety Alert regarding
issues with the negative torque sensing (NTS) system on Honeywell
TPE-331 engines, to emphasize the need to feather and secure
propellers during engine power loss events.
