Wasaya Airways

Cessna 208B Grand Caravan

On 11 December 2015, the pilot of Wasaya Airways Limited Partnership (Wasaya) flight 127 (WSG127) reported for duty at the Wasaya hangar at Pickle Lake Airport (CYPL), Ontario, at about 0815. The air taxi flight was to be the first of 3 cargo trips in the Cessna 208B Caravan (registration C-FKDL, serial number 208B0240) planned from CYPL to Angling Lake / Wapekeka Airport (CKB6), Ontario. The first flight was planned to depart at 0900. The pilot went to the Wasaya apron and conducted a pre-flight inspection of C-FKDL while a ground crew was loading cargo. A Wasaya aircraft fuel-handling technician confirmed with the pilot that the planned fuel load was 600 pounds per wing of Jet A fuel. After completing the fueling, the technician used the cockpit fuel-quantity indicators to verify that the distribution was 600 pounds per wing. The pilot returned to the hangar and received a briefing from the station manager regarding the planned flights. The pilot was advised that the first officer assigned to the flight had been reassigned to other duties in order to increase the aircraft’s available payload and load a snowmobile on board. The pilot completed and signed a Wasaya flight dispatch clearance (FDC) form for WSG127, and filed a copy of it, along with the flight cargo manifests, in the designated location in the company operations room. The FDC for WSG127 showed that the flight was planned to be conducted under visual flight rules (VFR), under company flight-following, at an altitude of 5500 feet above sea level (ASL). Time en route was calculated to be 66 minutes, with fuel consumption of 413 pounds. The pilot returned to the aircraft on the apron. Loading and fueling were complete, and the pilot conducted a final walk-around inspection of C-FKDL. Before entering the cockpit, the pilot conducted an inspection of the upper wing surface. At 0854, the pilot started the engine of C-FKDL and conducted ground checks for several minutes. At 0858, the pilot advised on the mandatory frequency (MF), 122.2 megahertz (MHz), that WSG127 was taxiing for departure from Runway 09 at CYPL. WSG127 departed from Runway 09 at 0900, and, at 0901, the pilot reported on the MF that the flight was airborne. The flight climbed eastward for several miles and then turned left toward the track to CKB6. At about 3000 feet ASL, WSG127 briefly descended about 100 feet over 10 seconds, and then resumed climbing. At 0905, the pilot reported on the MF that WSG127 was clear of the MF zone. WSG127 intercepted the track to CKB6 and climbed northward until the flight reached a peak altitude of about 4600 feet ASL at 0908:41, and then began descending at 0908:46. At 0909:16, the flight made a sharp right turn of about 120° as it descended through about 4000 feet ASL. At 0909:39, the descent ended at about 2800 feet and the aircraft climbed to about 3000 feet ASL before again beginning to descend. At approximately 0910, WSG127 collided with trees and terrain at an elevation of 1460 feet ASL during daylight hours.

Avro 748

The aircraft was parked on the ramp at Sandy Lake Airport. The flight crew had disembarked and were off-loading the cargo (JET A-1 jet fuel drums) from the aircraft to fuel tanks adjacent to the ramp. A fire broke out and the flight crew used the available fire extinguishers but the fire spread and consumed most of the aircraft that was totally destroyed. There were no injuries.

Cessna 208B Grand Caravan

The aircraft departed Pickle Lake to Summer Beaver, Ontario, on a charter flight with seven passengers and one crew member. The flight proceeded on a direct routing to destination at 3500 feet above sea level under night visual flight conditions. On approaching Summer Beaver, the aircraft joined the circuit on a downwind leg for a landing on Runway 17. When the aircraft did not land, personnel at Summer Beaver contacted the Pickle Lake flight dispatch to inquire about the flight. The aircraft was declared missing following an unsuccessful radio search by the Pickle Lake flight dispatch staff. Search and rescue personnel found the wreckage in a wooded area three nautical miles northwest of Summer Beaver. The aircraft had been nearly consumed by a post-crash fire. All eight people on board had been fatally injured.

Cessna 208B Grand Caravan

While holding outside the control zone at Red Lake (YRL) pending a special VFR clearance, the pilot made a descending turn to avoid a flock of large birds. The right wing struck the water of Ranger Lake and the Cessna overturned. A military DHC-8 diverted to Red Lake and located the Cessna on the west side of Ranger Lake. The airplane was partially submerged and the pilot was on the wing. A floatplane (C-FVTU) subsequently picked up the pilot and returned him to Red Lake. The pilot suffered shoulder injuries, arm injuries, facial injuries and hypothermia.

Avro 748

Wasaya Airways Ltd. Flight 804, a Hawker Siddeley 748-2A, serial number 1750, landed at Kasabonika, Ontario, on a freight flight from Pickle Lake, Ontario. During the landing roll, the aircraft could not be stopped and overran the runway by about 450 feet. The captain, the first officer and one of the freight handlers suffered minor injuries; the other freight handler was not injured. The aircraft was destroyed.