a330pilotcanada
21st Aug 2011, 02:05
Good Evening All:
This just in from the BBC World Service about a First Air Flight down in Resolute Bay.
Thoughts are with the family and crew of this flight.
Charter jet crashes in Canadian arctic killing 12
A Boeing 737 charter jet has crashed in Canada's Arctic region, killing 12 people and injuring three others.
The First Air flight was travelling from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay, when it came down not far from its destination.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said 15 people had been on board the flight, including four crew members.
Canadian troops are currently in the area on operational exercises and were able to assist in the rescue effort.
The plane crashed shortly before 1300 local time (1800 GMT) on Saturday, local police said.
Witnesses said the plane crashed into a small hill near Resolute Bay's airport, according to the Associated Press news agency.
Police did not provide any details on the condition of the three survivors. The cause of the crash is being investigated.
On its website, First Air says it serves the cargo and travel needs of remote communities in Canada's Arctic.
R.Barry
21st Aug 2011, 11:39
12 die in Nunavut plane crash
Published On Sat Aug 20 2011
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http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/30/04/536e05644c4c8b885ef7d1745fff.jpeg http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/b5/c9/a14994b648c69cdb82692b913be9.jpeg An ambulance takes the three surviving victims of a plane crash in Resolute, Nunavut to the Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit late Aug. 20, 2011.
Denis Calnan photo
Allan Woods and Amanda Kwan Ottawa Bureau
OTTAWA—A charter plane carrying 15 people crashed Saturday while approaching the runway of a remote Arctic hamlet, turning a major military exercise into a full scale search-and-rescue operation.
Authorities say that 12 people are confirmed dead in the crash of First Air flight 6550 several kilometers from the runway in Resolute Bay, Nunavut. Another three people survived the crash and are receiving medical treatment.
The identities of the victims and survivors are not being released until officials can notify their families, the RCMP said.
RCMP said late Saturday night that it has dispatched two forensic teams to the “widespread” crash site: one team of four to deal with the remains of victims and another team of two to handle the accident investigation.
“These officers are all experienced. Some have dealt with the Swiss Air crash and the tsunami crisis,” the force said in a statement.
A coroner is also en route to handle the remains of the dead.
So far, officials have located two black boxes from the airplane at the crash site, which will give investigators some idea about the incident.
READ MORE: First Air’s fleet involved in two previous accidents (http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1042644--first-air-s-fleet-involved-in-two-previous-accidents)
Saroomie Manik, a former mayor of the community who went to the site said there were two young girls on the plane, the grandchildren of an owner of the local South Camp Inn. The hotel's cook was also on the plane, she added.
“I tried to call up to the South Camp Inn and try and find out but was told that everyone’s up at the airport,” said Ron Elliott, who lives in Arctic Bay, and is a member of the Nunavut legislative assembly for the area that includes Resolute Bay.
“It’s definitely a tragedy in a small community for something like that to happen, but definitely we’re grateful that the military is there and hopefully we’ll find out more information soon.”
A spokesperson for the force in Nunavut did say that the three survivors include two adults and a young child.
One of the adults is in critical condition, Const. Angelique Vignard said from the territorial headquarters in Iqaluit. She would not classify the severity of the other two injured passengers, though they are believed to have fared better.
“They were seen walking,” Vignard said.
All three were transported to Iqaluit, the Nunavut capital, for further medical treatment.
A military spokesman said that the plane was approaching the airstrip just after 12 p.m. local time when it struck a large hill several kilometers away.
“We’re kind of skirting a hill to the east of the airfield. It crashed on that hill. It was visible to us down here on the airfield and it’s a few kilometers away,” Capt. Andrew Hennesy said.
The Canadian Forces is mounting a massive military exercise, Operation Nanook, out of the hamlet that is home to just over 200 people and its fleet of helicopters and medical technicians, as well as local fire crews and ambulances were quickly called in to respond. Canadian Coast Guard helicopters stationed in the bay were also pulled in to the rescue operation.
“It was a crash in a place with no roads going to it,” Hennesy said, explaining why helicopters were called in for the rescue.
In a cruel irony, Operation Nanook, the annual Arctic military drill, was to have practiced responding to a major air disaster as well as a marine accident.
The deadly crash has prompted military officials to suspend the exercises.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is touring the north this coming week as part of a weeklong annual Arctic tour. Officials in the Prime Minister’s Office said that his visit to the north would go ahead but the precise details of the trip, which was slated to include a stop in Resolute Bay, are in flux.
Harper said in a statement Saturday night that he was “deeply saddened” by news of the crash.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those passengers who lost their lives in this tragedy,” he said. “We also wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured.”
Seven air safety investigators with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada have been dispatched to Resolute Bay, said spokesman Chris Krepski. Other staff members were already on site to participate in the mock air crash that the military was to have played out this coming week.
Instead, their job has become all too real.
Krepski said the TSB probe will involve examining evidence at the crash site, interviewing witnesses, collecting air traffic control records, weather information, speaking with First Air, and gathering aircraft maintenance records and pilot training records.
With files from The Canadian Press
More discussion of this over on the main R & N forum.
http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/461349-737-reported-down-canada.html