Port-Menier - Seven Islands

On August 12, 1999 at 11:57 PM, Port-Menier - Seven Islands experienced a crash involving Beechcraft 1900D, operated by RégionnAir, with the event recorded near Seven Islands Quebec.

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.

4 people were known to be on board, 1 fatalities were recorded, 3 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 25.0%.

Crew on board: 2, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 2, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is human factor. The RégionnAir flight took off from Port-Menier at 23:34 for an IFR flight to Seven Islands. The crew decided to carry out a straight-in GPS approach to runway 31. However, there is no published GPS approach for that runway. The descent from cruise flight into the airport was started late, and the aircraft was high and fast during the approach phase to the NDB. From an altitude of 10 000 feet at 9 nm from the NDB, the rate of descent generally exceeded 3000 fpm. The aircraft crossed the beacon at 600 feet asl. For the last 30 seconds of flight and from approximately 3 nm from the threshold, the aircraft descended steadily at approximately 850 fpm, at 140 to 150 knots indicated airspeed, with full flaps extended. The captain coached the first officer throughout the descent and called out altitudes and distances. The GPWS "Minimums" activation sounded, consistent with the decision height selection of 100 feet, to which the captain responded with directions to continue a slow descent. The last call was at 30 feet, 1.2 seconds before impact. Eight seconds before impact, the GPWS voice message "Minimums, Minimums" activated. The aircraft continued to descend and struck trees in a near-level attitude, in an area of rising terrain. A post-crash fire destroyed the wings, the right engine, and the right midside of the fuselage. The cabin area remained relatively intact, but the cockpit area separated and was crushed during the impact sequence. The Beechcraft in question was a brand new aircraft, registered just 2 months earlier. This accident was RégionnAir's second Beech 1900 loss in 1999; on January 4 an accident happened on approach to St. Augustin River. No one received fatal injuries in that accident however.

Aircraft reference details include registration C-FLIH, MSN UE-347, year of manufacture 1999.