Fort McMurray – Edmonton – Calgary – Cranbrook – Castlegar

On February 11, 1978 at 12:55 PM, Fort McMurray – Edmonton – Calgary – Cranbrook – Castlegar experienced a crash involving Boeing 737-200, operated by Pacific Western Airlines - PWA, with the event recorded near Cranbrook British Columbia.

The flight was categorized as scheduled revenue flight and the reported phase was landing (descent or approach) at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

49 people were known to be on board, 42 fatalities were recorded, 7 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 85.7%.

Crew on board: 5, crew fatalities: 4, passengers on board: 44, passenger fatalities: 38, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. Pacific Western Airlines flight 314 was a scheduled Boeing 737 service from Fort McMurray, Aberta, to Castlegar with stops at Edmonton, Calgary and Cranbrook, B. C. The flight departed Calgary at 1932Z 11 February 1978, for Cranbrook with a Company estimated time enroute of 23 minutes. This estimate was passed to the Company Agent in Cranbrook. Flight 314 was cleared by Calgary Air Traffic Control to Cranbrook via high level airway 505, and reached the assigned altitude of 20,000 feet at 1938Z. Air Traffic Control in Calgary transmitted an ETA (estimated time of arrival) of 2005Z to Cranbrook Aeradio, via the land line. Cranbrook is an "uncontrolled" airport without a control tower, but within controlled airspace, with an "Aeradio" station providing communications, weather, and advisory service. At Cranbrook it was snowing with the visibility reported as 314 of a mile, and a radio equipped snow removal vehicle was sweeping the runway. The Aeradio operator at Cranbrook alerted the vehicle operator about the incoming aircraft at 1935Z and gave him the ETA of 2005Z; they both expected the flight would report by the "Skookum Beacon" on a straight-in approach to runway 16, thus giving the vehicle operator about seven minutes to get off the runway. At 1942Z Flight 314 called Calgary and requested and received descent clearance; it was also given clearance for the approach to Cranbrook. At 1944Z, the flight called out of 18000 feet in the descent, and Calgary ATC advised the flight to contact Aeradio. At 1945Z, Flight 314 made initial contact with Cranbrook Aeradio and at 1946Z Cranbrook passed the latest weather, altimeter and runway information. At 1947Z Cranbrook Aeradio advised the flight that snow removal was in progress and gave the latest visibility; Flight 314 acknowledged. No further transmissions were received from the flight by Aeradio or ATC. Evidence indicates the aircraft passed the Skookum beacon inbound on a straight-in instrument approach, and flew the ILS for runway 16 to touchdown.' According to witnesses and estimates partially derived from flight data recorder information, the aircraft touched down at 1955Z approximately 800 feet from the threshold and reverse thrust was selected. Reverse thrust was cancelled immediately after touchdown and a go-around was initiated. The aircraft became airborne prior to the 2000 foot mark, and flew down the runway at a height of 50 to 70 feet, flying over a snow removal vehicle which was still on the runway, 2050 feet from the threshold and 20 feet from the right edge. About this time the left engine thrust reverser doors deployed. A few seconds later, the flap was selected up from 40° to 15°. The landing gear remained down and locked. Six seconds before impact and just over 4,000 feet from the runway threshold, the flight recorder data indicates that a large amount of left rudder was momentarily applied. The aircraft climbed to 300 to 400 feet above the airfield, banked steeply to the left, lost height and side-slipped into the ground to the left of the runway. Fire broke out on impact. Four crew members and 38 passengers were killed while seven other occupants were killed.

Aircraft reference details include registration C-FPWC, MSN 20142/253, year of manufacture 1970.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 49.5098°, -115.7612°.