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Deceased pilot wanted to quit job before crash Nicole Stacey was working in 'indentured servitude,' says father of crash victimLyndsay Herman Northern News Services Published Monday, Sept 24, 2012
Twenty-six-year-old Nicole Stacey was the co-pilot aboard the Arctic Sunwest floatplane and was attempting to land in fierce winds on Yellowknife Bay on Sept 22, 2011 when the plane slammed nose-first into a parking lot across the street from the Bayside Bed and Breakfast on McDonald Drive. Witnesses describe the plane bouncing off the water and then pulling up and banking sharply before striking power lines and the Aurora Geosciences building and then coming to rest in the parking lot next door.
Nine people were aboard the Arctic Sunwest Twin Otter C-FARW, including captain Trevor Jonasson, who also died in the crash. All seven passengers, arriving back to Yellowknife after a visit to Avalon Rare Metals' Nechalacho camp at Thor Lake, survived.
Frank Stacey said his daughter, one of six children and the youngest of two girls, e-mailed him in June complaining about her job situation at Arctic Sunwest.
Nicole started working for the company on Sept. 10, 2009, loading and unloading planes and other on-ground tasks with the hope of working herself into a position to one day fly for the company like so many other eager pilot recruits trying to get their foot in the door.
After eight months, she was offered to sign a contract for a so-called training bond, which would cover the cost of her training for a first officer position aboard a Twin Otter. She was still expected to maintain her heavy load of on-ground responsibilities while her flying time grew, said Frank.
Nicole, who's job progression depended on the number of hours she logged flying various types of aircraft, was kept at a ground position for more than a year after signing the contract, according to the e-mail sent to her father.
"The issue that I am having is that I have been put in a ground position (shipping and receiving) and the company does not want to replace me," Nicole states in the e-mail to her father.
"I am the only one for the entire company doing cargo and they apparently cannot find anyone to do the job or they just aren't trying. This leaves a huge dependency on me and when I am flying I am still expected to work early mornings in cargo or after my flights to get the cargo jobs done ... I just feel as thought I am being taken advantage of, being held back, and that there is no way out."
Frank said his daughter wanted to quit but because she had signed a two-year contract, which took effect June 16, 2010, she would have to pay a penalty if she left.
"That Arctic Sunwest not only held her in a ground position for one year, but also made her sign a training bond for a wage of only $24,000 per year is despicable," Frank stated in an e-mail to News/North.
"She would not have been there and would still be alive today but for this 'bond.'"
Arctic Sunwest Charters did not return calls or e-mails from News/North, seeking comment on the company's policies on training bonds and the company's reasons for using them.
Both Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and Transport Canada stated in e-mails to News/North that there are no regulations concerning training bonds. Transport Canada regulations forbid flight crews from working more than 14 hours in single day, regardless of what type of work is being performed, whether flying or loading planes.
Frank Stacey, meanwhile, as the one-year anniversary of his daughter's death passes by, is calling for an end to training bonds, which he said are a form of "indentured servitude."
"Basically they promised her something and then they changed their terms but were holding her to this training bond, which in my opinion is just wrong," said Frank, when contacted Thursday at his home in Wetaskiwin, Alta.
"It's small mindedness taking advantage of young pilots trying to break into the industry."
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