Diavik Fatal Crash: Pilots were "Likely Preoccupied" with Landing Gear Problem

(IDEX Online) - Pilots of the plane that crashed as it took off for the Diavik diamond mine in January 2024 were "likely preoccupied" with a landing gear problem, says a government report, and did not notice the aircraft's loss of altitude.

The captain, the first officer, and four passengers who were involved in building the mine's winter road were fatally injured moments after the Jetstream 3212 twin turboprop, operated by Northwestern Air Lease departed from Fort Smith Airport, in Northwest Territories to the Rio Tinto-owned mine. A fifth passenger ejected from the plane and survived and suffered minor injuries.

A report by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, published on 5 March, found that the pilots were aware of an intermittent problem with the main landing gear failing to retract properly in low temperatures (-20C).

"Because this issue did not arise on every flight, the consensus within the company was that it did not constitute a flight safety concern that warranted being entered in the aircraft's technical records," the report says.

Pilots had developed a workaround to make the main landing gear lock in the retracted position, but the problem wasn't logged, so it wasn't fixed.

The plane was intentionally at a low pitch attitude and a high airspeed just before it crashed, to remove possible snow accumulation. It was closer to the ground than it would be on a standard departure.

The captain reduced engine power to reduce the aircraft's speed and allow the main landing gear to fully retract.

"As a result of the decreased power, the aircraft entered an inadvertent descent at 140 feet above ground level," say investigators.

They didn't notice the aircraft's loss of altitude until just before it crashed into trees and hit the ground then burst into flames. 

Pic courtesy Transportation Safety Board of Canada shows remains of the aircraft.