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Lake landing terrifying
Passengers share experience and express appreciation in wake of forced landing

Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, November 27, 2014

LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
The plane descended through cloudy skies into the dark unknown below.

NNSL photo/graphic

The Air Tindi aircraft that made an emergency landing Nov. 20 sits on the ice of the North Arm of Great Slave Lake. - photo courtesy Transportation Safety Board of Canada

After declaring an emergency, the Air Tindi flight from Yellowknife bound for Fort Simpson touched the icy surface of Great Slave Lake. The ice held.

The Cessna Caravan bumped along the surface for almost a kilometre, smashing into rock outcroppings.

The landing gear on one side of the plane crumpled, bringing the wing down to the surface, tearing up the underside before the aircraft finally came to a stop near an island that would shelter the uninjured passengers for several hours before their rescue the morning of Nov. 20.

Those details about the emergency landing of the Air Tindi flight came from company president Al Martin in an interview Monday as investigations ramp up into the cause of the landing.

"We take safety very seriously, we're not rushing," Martin said.

The Transportation Safety Board will issue a written report after a full investigation.

The five passengers from the Deh Cho region aboard the aircraft declined interviews but issued a joint statement on Tuesday.

He said passengers needed more time before doing media interviews about their experience.

Pilot lauded

Residents of Fort Simpson said the pilot should be congratulated for keeping everyone alive.

"I've got to give the pilot credit," said A.J. Augier as he drank a cup of tea at the Nahanni Inn on Friday. "The person who was flying should be given an award."

It was a sentiment others in the community shared, including Dolly Tsetso, who sat at a nearby table.

Deh Cho residents Doris Erasmus, Phillip Betthale, Roy Klondike, Laura Diamond C and Ronnie Antoine were passengers on the aircraft, The first few hours after learning something happened to the plane were worrying, said Tsetso, adding Erasmus and Antoine are both well-known in the village.

Then came word all on board had been rescued and taken back to Yellowknife.

"Thank God for that, it was very scary at first," Tsetso said.

In an interview Nov. 20, Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche said he was relieved to hear his constituents were safe.

The early hours when people weren't sure what happened were stressful for family and community members, he said.

"I just pray to God that it never happens again," Tsetso said, adding that the incident doesn't make her more worried about flying.

Living in the community for about 20 years, Augier said he's flown many times.

He now prefers to drive when it's not an emergency. This time of year, he said the weather can make flying too worrisome.

Early morning flight

The flight was originally scheduled to take off Nov. 19 but was rescheduled for the next morning due to weather.

A woman who identified herself as a family member of one of the passengers waited that Thursday morning for an update at Great Slave Helicopters.

She said the flight left early because the pilot wanted to "beat the freezing rain."

Martin said it would surprise him if he had learned one of his company's pilots had risked flying in bad weather.

"We deal with bad weather conditions in the North," said Martin. "Ultimately, the pilot makes the call based on input from other sources."

The aircraft lifted off from Yellowknife at 6:44 a.m.

It was still climbing, according to a preliminary report from Transport Canada, when the pilot requested clearance to return to the city due to icy conditions.

An emergency was declared 15 minutes later by the pilot. After the plane stopped, he radioed to say all were safe.

The pilot's name has not yet been released.

Martin heralded the actions of the pilot for safely landing the aircraft in difficult circumstances.

A search and rescue operation was triggered, involving the military, RCMP and Air Tindi, which is owned by Discovery Air.

RCMP were called by 7:30 a.m. and set up an emergency command centre along Highway 3 near Boundary Creek, northwest of Yellowknife.

Multiple RCMP vehicles from the Yellowknife and Behchoko detachments, an RCMP mobile command unit, at least three ambulances from Behchoko and Yellowknife, Canadian Forces vehicles carrying snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and an Air Tindi van were at the site.

The passengers and crew didn't immediately leave the site of the crash because it was dark and they weren't sure where they were, Martin said.

An engine blanket was used and seats from the aircraft were taken out for older passengers to sit on.

Once it became brighter, they walked about 500 metres to an island and a fire was started to keep people warm.

RCMP were able to reach the site at 11:30 a.m. using snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles. The plane's five passengers and pilot were evacuated to Yellowknife by Great Slave Helicopters.

"They were roughly 10 kilometres as the crow flies from (Boundary Creek) so it was a good little ways," said RCMP Cpl. Todd Scaplen.

While no one was seriously injured, Martin said after the adrenalin wore off, people were stiff and sore.

All but one passenger remained in Yellowknife until Monday.

Air Tindi was looking after replacing belongings still on the plane and Martin said the four passengers were planning to drive back home.

The four passengers, Martin and the pilot shared a meal Sunday night.

They've formed a bond over the experience and spending several hours awaiting rescue, Martin said.

"You land on a lake in the darkness, you look after each other," he said.

Full investigation

Transportation Safety Board spokesman John Cottreau said on Monday that the board has determined a full investigation is warranted, which means a written report will be produced.

The board announced Thursday afternoon it deployed a team to the site.

Three investigators are now on the ground, Cottreau said.

The team will gather paper records including the pilot's history, certifications, plane inspection and maintenance records and more.

Interviews by the board were carried out with the pilot and the passengers still in Yellowknife, said Martin.

The wrecked airframe still on Great Slave Lake is in the process of having its wings removed so the plane can be transported by helicopter back to Yellowknife for examination as part of the investigation.

"Our folks will be having a closer look at it," Cottreau said.

Aviation fuel that leaked onto the ice will be cleaned up, as will any other debris left on the surface, Martin said.

Once the evidence and records have been collected, the investigation will move into an analysis phase and then the report will be written, which could contain recommendations to prevent similar incidents in the future.

There's no estimate on how long it could take for the report to be released, Cottreau said.

It's too early to say whether there are changes the company will make to policies or its aircraft, Martin said.

He added that any problems identified in the investigation will be addressed.

Three other similar aircraft weren't taking off until more was understood about the circumstances of the incident, Martin said, and the planes would slowly be reintroduced to the company's fleet.

In the meantime, he said other aircraft are being used on routes that would normally be serviced by the Caravan plane.

- with files from Randi Beers and Cody Punter

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