Carson Air Flight 66

Carson Air Flight 66 was a Swearingen Metro II turboprop aircraft on a domestic cargo flight from Vancouver to Prince George, both in British Columbia, Canada. On 13 April 2015, the aircraft crashed into a mountain en route to Prince George Airport, killing both crew members.[1]

Carson Air Flight 66
A Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II similar to the one involved in the crash
Accident
Date13 April 2015 (2015-04-13)
SummaryIn-flight break up; pilot intoxication
SiteNorth Shore Mountains, British Columbia, Canada
49.4090°N 123.0930°W / 49.4090; -123.0930
Aircraft
Aircraft typeSwearingen SA226-TC Metro II
OperatorCarson Air
IATA flight No.CA66
Call signECLIPSE 66
RegistrationC-GSKC
Flight originVancouver International Airport, Vancouver, Canada
DestinationPrince George Airport, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
Occupants2
Passengers0
Crew2
Fatalities2
Survivors0

History of the flight

The flight had taken off from Vancouver International Airport at approximately 7:02 PDT. The aircraft subsequently descended from 2,400 meters to 900 meters in less than a minute. Air traffic controllers lost radar contact with the aircraft as it was en route to Prince George at roughly 7:08.[2][3]

Aircraft and crew

The aircraft, a twin-turboprop Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II, serial number TC-325, registered C-GSKC, was manufactured in 1977. Carson Air was its only operator. The aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder.[2]

The crew consisted of only the cockpit crew, 34-year-old pilot Robert Brandt and 32-year-old co-pilot Kevin Wang.[4][3]

The aircraft crashed into a hillside area near Crown Mountain, a part of the North Shore Mountains.[2][5] Two helicopters and two aircraft from North Shore Rescue participated in the search for the wreckage of the aircraft, which was slowed by poor weather conditions.[6] It was later discovered that the emergency locating transmitter was activated, but did not send out a signal.[7]

Investigation

The accident was investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), which determined the cause of the accident to be an in-flight breakup cause by a rapid descent. However, no definite reason was found as to why the descent was initiated. [7] An autopsy performed on the two pilots by the British Columbia Coroner Service revealed that pilot Brandt had a blood alcohol level of 0.24 percent, three times the legal limit for a driver.[8][9][10]

References
  1. "Carson Air – Pilot career centre". Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  2. "ASN Aircraft accident Swearingen SA226-TC Metro II C-GSKC Vancouver, BC". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  3. "Robert Brandt and Kevin Wang identified as victims of B.C. plane crash". CBC News. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  4. "Grisly wreckage revealed". Castanet.net. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  5. "Wreckage Found After Carson Air Plane Vanishes During Trip From Vancouver To Prince George, B.C." The Huffington Post Canada. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  6. "Carson Air Flight 66: Plane believed found in B.C.'s North Shore mountains". Arffwg.org. Archived from the original on 2016-04-23. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  7. "Aviation Investigation A15P0081". Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  8. "Canada 's Blood Alcohol Laws Among the Strictest in the Western World". Canada Safety Council. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  9. "Coroners Office Reports Pilot Of Carson Air Flight 66 Was Intoxicated". Avstop.com. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  10. "Robert Brandt, Carson Air pilot killed in B.C. plane crash, had alcohol in system". Newsjs.com. Archived from the original on October 13, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
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