Transportation Safety Board of Canada Said Passengers Were Intoxicated During The Flight

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) of Canada has released its final report from the investigation of an accident in which the pilot of a floatplane and three passengers were fatally injured when the plane went down in the water. The board said it was likely that an intoxicated passenger interfered with the operation of the aircraft.

According to the TSB, the Atleo River Air Service float-equipped Cessna 185F (serial number 18503618, registration C-GIYQ), took off from Tofino, British Columbia, at 1200 Pacific Daylight Time for a flight to Ahousat, with a pilot and three passengers. The short flight was being carried out under visual flight rules at about 500 feet above sea level. About two nautical miles from Ahousat, while in cruise flight, the aircraft descended in a steep nose-down attitude until it hit the water in Millar Channel and overturned. Attempts to secure the aircraft failed and it sank. There were no survivors. The emergency locator transmitter functioned but its signal was not received until the wreckage was brought to the surface two days later.

Cessna 185F File Photo

The aircraft had been chartered by three residents of Ahousat. They had a small amount of baggage and cargo that consisted of several bottles of liquor, a case of beer, and some personal effects. It is unknown where the baggage and cargo were stowed in the aircraft, but they were not secured.

The passengers were intoxicated, however they were able to walk and were sufficiently coherent to argue about the price of the charter.

Divers found the aircraft wreckage resting on the ocean floor with all the occupants still inside. The pilot was restrained by the lap seat belt; all of the passengers were unrestrained. The right door was ajar. Post-recovery examinations of the wreckage revealed damage indicative of the aircraft striking the water at an attitude of about 45° nose down and the right wing low. There were no indications of control malfunctions. All the control cables were correctly routed and in working condition. The pulleys, trim jacks, and all other control fittings showed no evidence of pre-impact damage. The elevator trim was set at about 5° nose down 1 and the flaps were fully retracted. The aircraft was configured for cruise flight. There was no evidence of engine malfunction. The propeller also showed no evidence of pre-impact malfunction, and it sustained damage consistent with significant power at impact. The engine controls were pushed through the instrument panel and badly damaged from collision forces.

Route of Flight TSB Canada Image

Pieces of the cardboard beer case and the remnants of several beer cans were found behind the instrument panel, having penetrated near the engine controls. The V brace, which forms a V between the top corners of the windshield and the top centre of the instrument panel, was bent forward.

Tests were done to determine if the passengers could have interfered with the aircraft's controls, or the pilot's ability to control the aircraft.

These tests revealed that a person in the passenger front seat can place a foot onto the control system under the instrument panel and push the control column forward, thereby causing a nose down control input. In this scenario, however, the pilot can easily overcome the interference.

Pilot Forced Into Controls TSB Canada Image

It was also found that if the pilot's upper body is not secured by the shoulder harness, a rear passenger could push the pilot's seatback forward causing the pilot to push the control yoke forward, thereby causing a nose down control input. It was noted that the pilot had no space to leverage his arms and push back sufficiently to overcome the passenger's leg force from behind. In this scenario, a pilot could not resist a push from the back unless it was expected and the pilot braced accordingly.

According to the TSB, it is likely that passenger interference caused the pilot to lose control of the aircraft whereupon it descended in a steep nose-down attitude until it struck the water. It is also possible the passengers' level of intoxication contributed to their inability to recognize the gravity of the situation and stop the interference in time for the pilot to regain control of the aircraft before impact. Because there was no locking mechanism on the pilot's seatback, and because the pilot was not wearing his shoulder strap, he would have been unable to prevent his upper body from being forced onto the instrument panel.

FMI: www.tsb.gc.ca