Carson Air Flight 66
 Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II similar to the one involved in the crash | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 13 April 2015 |
| Summary | Accident |
| Site | North Shore Mountains 49°24′32″N 123°05′35″W / 49.40902°N 123.09303°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II |
| Operator | Carson Air |
| Registration | C-GSKC |
| Flight origin | Vancouver International Airport Vancouver, Canada |
| Destination | Prince George Airport Prince George, British Columbia |
| Passengers | 2 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 4 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Carson Air Flight 66, under callsign Eclipse Flight 66, was a Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II, registration C-GSKC, on a domestic cargo flight operated by Carson Air from Vancouver to Prince George, both in British Columbia, Canada. On 13 April 2015, the aircraft crashed into a mountain en route to Prince George Airport, killing both crew members operating the flight.[1]
Involved
Aircraft
The aircraft, a Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II, serial number TC-325 registered C-GSKC, was manufactured in 1977 and Carson Air was its only operator. The aircraft was powered by 2x Garrett TPE331-10UA-511G and was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder.[2]
Crew
The crew on this flight consisted of only the cockpit crew, 34-year-old pilot Robert Brandt and 32-year-old co-pilot Kevin Wang.[3][4]
Flight
The flight had taken off from Vancouver International Airport at approximately 7:02 Pacific Time Zone. The aircraft abruptly descended from 2,400 meters to 900 meters in less than a minute. Air Traffic Controllers soon lost radar contact with the aircraft, en route to Prince George, at roughly 7:08. The aircraft crashed on a hillside near Crown Mountain.[2][4]
Investigation
Search and rescue
The aircraft crashed at a hillside area near Crown Mountain, a part of the North Shore Mountains.[2][5] The rescue operation to reach the downed flight was carried out by North Search and Rescue. Two helicopters and two aircraft participated in the search for the wreckage of the aircraft. Poor weather conditions slowed the search for the aircraft.[6] It was later discovered that the emergency locater transmitter was activated but did not send out a signal.[7]
Examination and investigation
The accident is being investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), who determined the cause of the accident was an in-flight breakup.[7] An autopsy performed on the two pilots by the British Columbia Coroner Service revealed that pilot Brandt had a blood alcohol level of 0.24 percent, higher than 0.08 percent, the legal limit for a driver.[8][9][10]
References
- ^ "Carson Air – Pilot career centre". Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ a b c "ASN Aircraft accident Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II C-GSKC Vancouver, BC". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ "Grisly wreckage revealed". Castanet.net. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- ^ a b "Robert Brandt and Kevin Wang identified as victims of B.C. plane crash". CBC News. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ "Wreckage Found After Carson Air Plane Vanishes During Trip From Vancouver To Prince George, B.C." The Huffington Post Canada. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ "Carson Air Flight 66: Plane believed found in B.C.'s North Shore mountains". Arffwg.org. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ a b "Aviation Investigation A15P0081". Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ "Canada 's Blood Alcohol Laws Among the Strictest in the Western World". Canada Safety Council. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- ^ "Coroners Office Reports Pilot Of Carson Air Flight 66 Was Intoxicated". Avstop.com. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ "Robert Brandt, Carson Air pilot killed in B.C. plane crash, had alcohol in system". Newsjs.com. Retrieved April 13, 2016.