Drunk passengers caused 185 crash

[rotornut]

BBC News - Drunk passengers 'caused fatal Canada air crash' (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13907116)

[Pilot DAR]

Yes. But at least they were not causing a risk to the safety of the flight by carrying nail clippers!

I feel very badly for the pilot. A few holes of swiss cheese lining up for him, and he probably wanted his job too badly to deny bording to the suspected drunks, and create a scene. (Ha, it was a float plane, he should have made them walk the plank to board, to see if they could do it!... No, they'd drown by the float, and somehow it would be the pilot's fault)

I have interfered with bording of drunks before, and I'll do it again. A drunk in the cabin is as much a safety risk to everyone else as a terrorist with a weapon.

I can see it coming now.... a requirement for a locking cockpit door on a 185.....

[clunckdriver]

Stand by for AIM and others to call the TSB a racist organization, I hope they dont change a darn thing in the report regardles of what presures they are subjected to, good for them for not bending. And for those who may dispute the findings I would sugest you read some of the papers on bone/body autopsy conclusions in crash investigations,a bit grim but very acurate conclusions can be made using these methods.

[ross_M]

The three British Columbia residents had chartered a Cessna for a six-minute flight in May 2010.

A six minute flight? Is that a typo? Wouldn't it be easier to use a motorboat?

[G Nut]

Ross, that isn’t a typo, 6 min plane ride. There is a water taxi (motor boat) available but there is some confusion to this issue and it depends on whom you get your news from according to one source; The passengers in question did try to board a water taxi but where turned away because they where too intoxicated.

And from other sources; they tried to board a water taxi but passengers where turned away because they wanted to bring alcohol and that was against the operators rules.

Either way it is a shame that we lost a great pilot. I knew him very well and he is sorely missed in the aviation community. You could not have asked for a nicer guy.

[rotornut]

Not the shortest by a long shot. How about a 30 sec. helicopter flight? At Moosonee, Ontario during freeze-up and melting on the Moose River, passengers could take a short ride to go from Moosonee to Moose Island where there's hospital and a number of houses. I don't know the present status as there may be a bridge there at the present time. But I do know that there was a helicopter service as we leased a machine to the operator.

As for that tragic accident in B.C. a friend of mine flew charters in northern Saskatchewan and there were stories..

[er340790]

Sadly I have seen too many, literally DOZENS, of similar instances across N. Ontario where intoxicated passengers have become physically argumentative / violent.

On many flights to reserves, especially the dry reserves, many passengers make a point of consuming the maximum possible amount of alcohol before flight - short of inducing actual physical paralysis that would prevent boarding.

Unless the person has caused actual trouble prior to boarding, local airlines and flight crews routinely turn a blind eye to the practice.

This will not be the last such incident.

[GROUNDHOG]

Not long before this tragic accident I had the pleasure of meeting and flying with Damon on a day out for my sixtieth birthday. Without being patronising he came across as being dedicated, hugely professional and someone I would love to have known better. A terrible loss due to other peoples sheer stupidity.

[GMC1500]

Welcome to Canadian bush flying. Without those same passengers, alot of pilots wouldn't have jobs and gain the experience to move on to better things.

[lilflyboy262]

Thats not an excuse mate.
Id rather not have the job than be buried.

[fatbus]

GMC that was immature

[J.O.]

What GMC said may be immature and not exactly politically correct, it also has more than a little ring of truth to it. It's easy to play the Monday morning quarterback and say "I'd never allow that to happen". But when you work long enough in a culture where deviations such as this are accepted as part of the business, they soon become normal. "If we don't fly them, someone else will". I am quite sure that the last thing the deceased pilot thought would happen would be that one of his passengers would cause him to lose control of his aircraft on a six minute flight.

[lilflyboy262]

I totally understand where he is coming from. We face the same problems on my current side of the world. But its still not an excuse.
Thats the difference between being professional, and just being another pilot. Drawing the line. They know they can get away with it, so they will keep on doing it.

[20driver]

There is a very sad reality to life in the Canadian North. From the missionaries to Hardly Know It onwards there has being this idea that "we" can get "them" to behave.
It is tough to make a living in the north, and I'd say nothing is tougher than making a living flying small charter. Every single day you are being tested, loads, equipment, weather and passengers. It never stops.

Easy to say I'd to this or I'd do that from a keyboard. Not so easy when you are the guy (gal) on the spot. As a practical matter I'd say there is now a very good reason to use the shoulder strap.

I feel for the pilots family, another one who went North to make it returning home in a box. So sad.

20driver

[GMC1500]

Let me qualify, Fatbus,
I have personally experienced this type of situation more than once in my years in nw ont and n man.
For me, the plane was just big enough to have a small bulkhead between the pax and the pilots, not to say things couldn't have gone the wrong way. Of course I sympathize with this pilot and his family.
I've also denied boarding more than once to drunk pax.

[GROUNDHOG]

In the accident report it said I believe that Damon was only wearing a lap belt not a shoulder harness. Since it appears that the crash was caused by a push in the back of the seats could this have made any difference?:sad:

[J.O.]

The shoulder belts on light Cessnas are attached to the frame above the door. With the belt attached, it is all but impossible to move the seat or the seatback forward. So in fact, had he been wearing it, the idiot in the back may have been able to make him uncomfortable, but probably couldn't have pushed him forward into the controls.