Chibougamau – Camp Placer

On April 20, 1987 at 12:00 AM, Chibougamau – Camp Placer experienced a crash involving De Havilland DHC-3 Otter, operated by PropAir, with the event recorded near Camp Placer Quebec.

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

5 people were known to be on board, 0 fatalities were recorded, 5 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 0.0%.

Crew on board: 1, crew fatalities: 0, passengers on board: 4, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is weather. The Otter, with five occupants on board, was on a charter from its base at Chibougamau to Camp Placer, 206 miles to the north-east. At destination, a sand runway 2,200 feet in length and 100 feet in width had been built on an esker. On either side, there was a 100 foot gradient with a thirty degree slope. The wind speed was twenty knots. According to the operating manual, the wind exceeded the seven knot cross-wind limitation for the aircraft under such conditions. When the tail wheel touched down, the Otter turned nose to the wind, left the runway and came to rest at the bottom of the esker, in a sorry state. The Otter was destroyed in the accident. Source: Karl E. Hayes

Aircraft reference details include registration C-FRWK, MSN 450, year of manufacture 1965.