An image of the wreckage after the December 2017 incident. (Submitted photo/Transportation Safety Board of Canada)

By Derek Cornet

final report

TSB investigation finds Fond du Lac plane crash caused by ice accumulation

Oct 28, 2021 | 4:56 PM

Nearly four years after a fatal plane crash near Fond du Lac, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its final report into the incident.

The report released Thursday determined that the lack of adequate de-icing equipment and the practice of taking off without de-icing led to the fatal December 2017 incident involving a West Wind Aviation ATR-42 aircraft on the territory of the Fond Du Lac Denesųłiné First Nation.

Fond du Lac was thrown into the national spotlight after a passenger flight departing to Stony Rapids on Dec. 13, 2017 crashed shortly after takeoff. All 25 passengers and crew initially survived the incident, but one passenger later died of his injuries on Dec. 25, 2017.

“I want to begin by accepting responsibility for the issues that led to this crash,” Rise Air CEO Derek Nice told reporters during a media conference Thursday. “We are sorry for the harm caused to the passengers and crew on that flight, their relatives, loved ones, and their communities and we are determined that something like this can never happen again.”

Nice joined the airline in February 2021 and the following month West Wind Aviation rebranded to Rise Air. He said the final report into the incident by TSB is fair and he acknowledges the airline is responsible for what occurred.

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Standards for operating in icy conditions were not where they should have been, Nice noted. The TSB determined an inspection of the aircraft before take off determined there was ice on critical surfaces, but the captain decided to depart despite the observation.

“The de-icing equipment at all of our airports where we operate meets or exceeds industry standards,” Nice said of the airline since the crash. “In Fond du Lac, we’ve got heated de-ice fluid tanks and a vehicle with a lift on it so our ground staff can reach every part of the aircraft. Just as important, our ground crews and flight crews are regularly trained in de-icing procedures and our processes and equipment are regularly audited.”

Former West Wind Aviation CEO Michael Rodyniuk shows new de-icing equipment in Fond du Lac in October 2019. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

This monument, located at the plane crash, is dedicated to the victims. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

The location of the crash site in October 2019. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

In a separate press conference Thursday, TSB chairperson Kathy Fox explained the report also determined there was a systemic problem at isolated and northern airports with aircraft departing without de-icing. She said a survey found three-quarters of the pilots surveyed, approximately 650, indicated they had taken off at some point with contaminated critical surfaces and about 40 per cent indicated they were rarely, if ever, able to de-ice their aircraft.

In December 2018, the TSB made two recommendations related to the crash. The first was for Transport Canada to collaborate with airport authorities and operators on an urgent basis to ensure that remote airports were suitably equipped to be able to de-ice aircraft prior to take off. The second recommendation was focused on enforcement to make sure aircraft weren’t taking off with contaminated surfaces.

“Transport Canada did respond to us in the allotted time…and indicated some steps they were planning to take,” Fox said. “They created a working group, they reached out to airport operators and airlines operating in the North on an urgent basis to point out the issues and to start the dialogue and make sure they were taking action.”

Fox noted, however, no update about actions taken by Transport Canada were received until last week and the TSB hasn’t had time to review those additional activities.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno