Cessna 208 Caravan Crash in Winnipeg

[Limit-Switch]

WINNIPEG (CP) — A cargo plane crashed on railway tracks not far from Winnipeg’s city centre on Thursday, killing the pilot but incredibly missing buildings and vehicles in the area, police said.

The Cessna 208 was en route from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay, Ont., when it went down.

“It actually crashed in behind a temple that is nearby,” said Winnipeg police Sgt. Shelly Glover.

“It has crashed on railway tracks and does not appear to have collided with any other objects, houses or cars,” she said.

The trendy Osborne Village area where the plane came down is heavily populated.

“There are some taller buildings so it is quite incredible that nothing was struck,” said Glover.

Upon impact, the aircraft caught fire.

“My understanding is that there were some flames and some smoke,” she said.

Glover said the crash site is somewhat hidden from view although it is near a major traffic route into the city centre.

Police Sgt. Kelly Dennison, who was on the scene, said that weather may have been a factor in the crash.

Emergency crews were on the scene early Thursday.

Winnipeg radio station CJOB said the plane was operated by Federal Express, but police would not immediately confirm that.

[sammypilot]

Manitoba Global News reports that the aircraft was operated by Morningstar Air Express of Edmonton on contract to Fedex. No details of the lady pilot.

[av8boy]

Some prelim info:

WX Reported on freq by ATC at 35 past the hour: 35015KT 4SM –SN BR 10BKN 53OVC

METARs:

CYWG 061200Z 36013KT 15SM -SN BKN008 BKN040 M01/M01 A3027 RMK SF5SC2 SLP263
CYWG 061119Z 35012G17KT 8SM -SN BKN007 BKN026 OVC055 RMK SF6SC2SC1
CYWG 061100Z 36015KT 6SM -SN BR SCT007 BKN017 OVC055 M01/M01 A3026 RMK SF4SC2SC2 SLP260

- 37 minutes past the hour…Morningstar 8060 cleared for takeoff on RWY 36
- 38 minutes past the hour… Airborne and identified…”maintain nine thousand… direct Thunder Bay”
- 41 minutes past the hour… “Need an immediate back to the field… I’m iced-up to the point where I need to come back.”
- Controller turned her right to 280 for RWY 31 and told he to “Maintain 2500 if you can” (or something to that effect). She indicated that she didn’t think she’d be able to maintain altitude. The tower turned the RWY 31 lights up to 5. Controller pointed-out the airport at 2:00 and three miles then two miles. No response from pilot.
- Aircraft was reported down near Osborne and Corydon, about three miles from the approach end of RWY31.

Dave

[Shore Guy]

Plane involved in crash proves vulnerable to icing problems
Friday, October 7th, 2005
By: Leah Janzen

Aviation regulators around the world — including in Canada — recently implemented more stringent safety rules for Cessna Caravan aircraft after a review of accidents found the planes are more vulnerable to icing problems that can cause them to crash.

It was a Cessna Caravan 208B cargo plane that spiraled out of control early yesterday morning and crashed on the CN train tracks behind the Masonic Temple at Confusion Corner. The lone pilot, Nancy Chase-Allan, 49, was killed in the incident.

Radio communication between the pilot and air traffic controllers indicate the plane had become iced up in the moments before the crash.

There were 26 icing-related incidents involving Cessna Caravans between 1987 and 2003 in the United States. A Transport Canada spokeswoman said there have been six such incidents in Canada in the last 10 years.

Earlier this year, the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States issued an airworthiness directive instructing all pilots flying Cessna Caravan aircraft they must now make a “hands-on” check of the wing before take-off when icing is possible. The directive is typically issued from the country that certifies the plane, but once issued, is adopted by international agreement by other countries. As a result, Canadian pilots are also bound by the new rule.

Prior to the directive, pilots needed only to visually check for icing on the plane’s wings prior to take-off.

As of March, 29, pilots must now run their hands along the wing edge and surface as well as along the tail and propeller blades. Those checks must be done when temperatures fall below 5 C and there is visible moisture.

Investigators are not yet sure whether Chase-Allan conducted such an inspection before take off. Dan Boettcher, a spokesman for Morningstar Air Express, which operates the plane, said yesterday he did not believe Chase-Allan put the plane through a complete de-icing prior to leaving Winnipeg.

“From what I’ve heard, she did not de-ice the plane prior to take-off.”

A paper-thin layer of frost can cause a plane to lose lift. The speed a plane must maintain to avoid stalling is 35 per cent higher with frost than without.

When a plane stalls, its engines continue to run, but there isn’t enough airflow over the wing to generate the lift needed to keep the plane flying.

The plane drops and the pilot loses the ability to navigate it.

Canadian regulations prohibit pilots from taking off with any ice, frost or snow on critical surfaces such as wings. It is up to the pilot or maintenance crew to determine if de-icing fluid should be sprayed on the wings and propellers.

Transport Canada spokeswoman Lucie Vignola said yesterday there have been a handful of icing incidents involving Cessna Caravans in Canada in the last decade. She said Canada has implemented the new airworthiness directive from the FAA.

There are 54 Cessna Caravans in operation in Canada.

Last year, the National Transportation Safety Board in the United States issued an alert to all pilots, warning them the ice crystals as tiny as grains of salt scattered on a wing can be dangerous. Citing 26 U.S. crashes which resulted in 36 deaths, the NTSB in the states said they caused concern about “a possible systemic problem with the airplane’s design or operation.”

An American lawsuit is still pending in which the plaintiffs claim Cessna knew of a defect that made their Caravans especially vulnerable to ice. The claim has not yet been heard in court.

Additional safety directives pertaining to the Cessna Caravan are in the planning stages in the United States and may be implemented in the coming months. The new directive may compel the installation of de-icing boots on all Cessna Caravan landing gear.

According to international agreement, Canada would adopt the new rules if they are passed by the FAA.

[DA50driver]

Could have been me in the freight hauling days, my deepest condolences to family and friends.

Paul

[spencer101]

Has the official report been published for Georgian Experess's 208 crash the other year in Lake Erie? Ice was suspected in that one.

[darsco]

To everyone at MorningStar Air Express.

Sorry to hear about the loss to your colleague and friend.

You guys run a very safe operation it is very unfortunate this has happened.

DS