WAWA - The Transportation Safety Board says a miscommunication about runway snow removal is to blame for a plane crash at the Wawa Airport in November.
The report by the TSB was released on its website today (March 7). The purpose of the report is to advance transportation safety, not to assign blame or liability.
A Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 aircraft registered to Thunder Airlines Limited had a scheduled landing at the Wawa Airport in the early morning hours of Nov. 27, 2023. The flight left Thunder Bay for Sault Ste. Marie, with the scheduled pick up of a patient in Wawa.
The plane, which was used mostly for medical flights, was in good working order and carrying a pilot, a pilot in training and a paramedic when it left Thunder Bay at about 6:53 a.m.
A flight crew member contacted ground staff at the Wawa Airport shortly before the plane took off.
"During the call, the flight crew member learned of ongoing light snowfall and understood that the runway would be plowed by about 7:30 a.m.," said the report by TSB.
Aerodrome staff, including the employee the flight crew member had spoken to, arrived at the Wawa Airport between 7:15 and 7:30 a.m. An ambulance carrying the patient waiting to be transferred also arrived at that time.
It had snowed overnight and airport staff was aware of an incoming flight but the runways were not plowed.
"The aerodrome employee saw the lights of the approaching aircraft but did not attempt to contact the pilots. The ambulance driver asked whether the plow driver was going to plow the runway before the aircraft landed, but the plow driver intended to plow after the aircraft landed," said the report.
The flight crew activated the runway lights using a radio-controlled system and made an approach to Runway 3. Based on the earlier discussion with ground crew, the flight crew believed the snow visible on the runway was only a small amount but in reality was six to eight inches deep.
The plane skidded out of control upon landing, rotating almost 180 degrees and came to rest about 78 feet from the edge of the runway. The nose wheel had been torn off, the wing had become detached and a significant fuel leak was noted.
"The aircraft was extensively damaged; the right engine propeller blades penetrated the cabin before the engines were shut down," said the report.
The three people on board were able to walk away from the crash before being taken to hospital for observation. Only minor injuries were reported.
Airport staff plowed a path to the site of the collision, while another vehicle transported the aircraft occupants to the terminal building.
The lowing that was completed immediately after the collision made it difficult for investigators to determine exactly where the plane had touched down, said the report.
"The investigation determined that there was a miscommunication between the flight crew and the aerodrome staff with respect to when the runway would be plowed," said the report. "The flight crew believed that the runway would be plowed before their arrival, but the aerodrome staff only planned to have the runway plowed by [9:00 a.m.]"
The TSB is also investigating a fatal injury sustained by a member of the ground crew at Wawa Airport involving a AS-350 BA Helicopter helicopter on Aug. 20, 2023.
In that incident, the helicopter was positioning an external load attached by a long line when a member of the ground crew became entangled and fell while the vehicle was being manoeuvred.
