Description

On 1st September 2005, a DHC-2 Beaver, crashed near Squaw Lake, Quebec, Canada, following loss of control in poor weather and moderate to severe turbulence.

Synopsis

The following is the synopsis from the official report published by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada:

"The float-equipped de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver…departed the outfitter base camp at Squaw Lake, Quebec[1], at 0925 eastern daylight time, with a passenger and a few supplies on board, for a round-trip visual flight rules (VFR) flight to two wilderness camps, Camp 2 and Camp Pons. The weather in Squaw Lake was suitable for visual flight at the time of take-off but was forecast to deteriorate later in the day. The pilot completed the flights to the two camps and on the way back to Squaw Lake, the weather forced the pilot to make a precautionary landing on Elross Lake[2], 15 nm northwest of Squaw Lake. At 1630, he reported to the company via high frequency (HF) radio that he intended to take off from Elross Lake, as there seemed to be a break in the weather. Rescue efforts were initiated in the evening when the aircraft did not arrive at the base camp. The aircraft was located at 1230 the following day, 4 nm from Elross Lake…The aircraft was destroyed by a post-impact fire. The pilot sustained fatal injuries."

The report makes the following statement regarding the cause and contributing factors: