THUNDER BAY — The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) says it has launched an investigation into an incident at the Thunder Bay Airport that saw a passenger aircraft slide off the runway on Monday afternoon.
A witness in the area said he saw the plane approaching from the east. It didn’t sound right and touched down hard on the runway and bounced before spinning around and coming to rest in the snow and facing the opposite direction.
According to a statement issued by the Thunder Bay Airport, the aircraft was identified as a Beechcraft 300 turboprop and had three people on board at the time of the incident. None of the individuals on board sustained any injuries.
Thunder Bay Fire Rescue secured the scene as there were fears the aircraft was leaking fuel.
The aircraft sustained extensive damage including a broken tail and wings.
The RCAF later identified the plane as one of theirs, identifying it as a King Air 350 turboprop.
A spokesperson at National Defence (DND) headquarters in Ottawa said Tuesday that no further details will be provided until the investigation is concluded.
Thunder Bay Airport CEO Ed Schmidtke said the airport will have no further comment as the incident is the subject of a DND investigation.
— TBNewswatch
