26 Oct 2017 - 2 dead after plane crash near Springbank Airport, west of Calgary

[kevind]

https://globalnews.ca/news/3826632/fire ... f-calgary/

Two people are dead after a plane crashed near the Springbank Airport west of Calgary Thursday morning.

EMS spokesperson Stuart Brideaux said the two adults were deceased when paramedics and fire crews arrived.

“There is a fire and smoke in the area and visibility is reduced on the highways,” Cochrane RCMP said in a release sent just before 11 a.m.

Drivers were asked to avoid the area while the investigation unfolds. EMS said the scene was south of Highway 1, west of Calaway Park.

Rocky View County communications advisor Amanda Bradley said a witness called in with a report of a plane flying low that crashed just before 10 a.m.

Bradley said fire crews from Springbank Fire Hall, Elbow Valley Fire Hall and Cochrane responded to the scene on Huggard Road between Range Road 33 and Range Road 34.

She said the airport authority and RCMP had taken over the scene as of 10:30 a.m.

Global News crews on scene said the area appeared to be a farm field about one kilometre west of the Springbank School.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Cochrane RCMP detachment at 403-851-8000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

[Airtids]

Looks to be SATC. Brutal year for training at YBW. Condolences.

[CpnCrunch]

Looks like GCCM...had just taken off for a circuit.

[upup_away]

Sad day for the Calgary area. Condolences to the families of those involved. RIP.

[ditar]

I flew in right after it happened and took off again shortly thereafter. The accident site was less than 1 mile south of the departure end of RWY 17 and just slightly east of centreline. Very sad.

[cncpc]

Anything on the tower tape?

[CpnCrunch]

Anything on the tower tape?

On the 15:30 inner tower recording, about 2/3rd of the way through you hear CCM getting takeoff clearance. Then after a minute CCM asks for a circuit and is cleared for a right-hand circuit. There's a few more minutes and then tower makes a comment about an accident. Nothing else from CCM that I heard.

[cncpc]

Anything on the tower tape?

On the 15:30 inner tower recording, about 2/3rd of the way through you hear CCM getting takeoff clearance. Then after a minute CCM asks for a circuit and is cleared for a right-hand circuit. There's a few more minutes and then tower makes a comment about an accident. Nothing else from CCM that I heard.

So it appears not to be on initial climb out? And no mayday.

Where can that tape be listened to?

Thanks

[CpnCrunch]

So it appears not to be on initial climb out?

I think it was...my impression is that they called asking for circuits during the climbout, but it's impossible to tell for sure.

And no mayday.

No, not that I heard.

Where can that tape be listened to?

I think this is it:

http://archive-server.liveatc.net/cybw/ ... -1530Z.mp3

[ditar]

Wow. You can hear the stress in the controller's voice. It must be difficult to keep it together in that kind of situation.

[cncpc]

I get this from the tape:

17:58 TWR Clear take off 5000 height restriction, tower freq given

20:07 CCM CCM would like to do a circuit right away

20: 11 TWR Okay Charlie Mike, right hand circuit

20:30 TWR clears aircraft to land and instructs unidentified aircraft Victor Oscar to make immediate right hand circuit

20:39 Unidentified aircraft reports fire south

22:50 TWR acknowledges aircraft down and issues instructions to other aircraft

It would appear that by 20:30 the tower knows the aircraft has gone down as she sends VO inside and ahead of CCM if it were inside the circuit. So 23 seconds after CCM's last transmission, there is either smoke or the tower visuals the descent to ground. Only possible clue is request for a circuit "right away". Original intention must not have been for circuits.

[CpnCrunch]

Original intention must not have been for circuits.

I guess maybe they realised they had a problem and decided to come back to land.

[cncpc]

Original intention must not have been for circuits.

I guess maybe they realised they had a problem and decided to come back to land.

What ever it was, it got worse very fast.

[Diadem]

Engine failure and VMC roll on final? With the size of the fire, I don't think fuel quantity was an issue.

[cncpc]

Engine failure and VMC roll on final? With the size of the fire, I don't think fuel quantity was an issue.

Within 19 seconds the situation went from a belief that a circuit was possible to ground impact. Without any call.

I don't think they were on final. But VMC roll, yes. The witness said the nose dropped and it hit the ground from 100 feet.

It looks like they could have put the gear down and just landed where they were if it was engine failure and not able to maintain.

[guyfullofrage]

Original intention must not have been for circuits.

I guess maybe they realised they had a problem and decided to come back to land.

Occured departing 17. Piled in where you would normally turn base. Straight down.

[guyfullofrage]

Original intention must not have been for circuits.

I guess maybe they realised they had a problem and decided to come back to land.

Occured departing 17. Piled in where you would normally turn base. Straight down.

Crosswind that is

[cncpc]

The request for a circuit seems to be made by the instructor. The student was an Iranian Canadian.

The voice is clearly stressed and the request is urgent, but no pan or mayday. He hesitates in deciding what he wants to do and then says "...circuit right away".

circuitrightaway.mp3

(148.46 KiB) Downloaded 843 times

[co-joe]

The request for a circuit seems to be made by the instructor. The student was an Iranian Canadian.

The voice is clearly stressed and the request is urgent, but no pan or mayday. He hesitates in deciding what he wants to do and then says "...circuit right away".

circuitrightaway.mp3

I'm really not hearing urgency in the pilot's voice. Sounds more like hey we'd like to do a circuit now on our way to whatever we told you we were planning.

Is anyone able to comment on how long the machine had been flying prior to the accident since being refuelled?

[cncpc]

The request for a circuit seems to be made by the instructor. The student was an Iranian Canadian.

The voice is clearly stressed and the request is urgent, but no pan or mayday. He hesitates in deciding what he wants to do and then says "...circuit right away".

circuitrightaway.mp3

I'm really not hearing urgency in the pilot's voice. Sounds more like hey we'd like to do a circuit now on our way to whatever we told you we were planning.

Is anyone able to comment on how long the machine had been flying prior to the accident since being refuelled?

No, it doesn't sound like "...hey we'd like to do a circuit now." It sounds exactly like what he said. Right away.

If there was no urgency, then the people who saw the aircraft at low level and descending are mistaken. And, it's just a coincidence that 19 seconds after saying "hey we'd like..." the aircraft had hit the ground and exploded after nosing in from 100 feet. Nobody likes to do a circuit at 100 feet.

If you ask about refuelling because you think a misfuel with jet fuel may have caused this, that is a good point. If you think it ran out of fuel, that is obviously not a good point.

[cncpc]

https://globalnews.ca/news/3826632/fire ... f-calgary/

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Cochrane RCMP detachment at 403-851-8000 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

I don't recall ever seeing a request like that before.

[shamrock104]

"Circuit right away" is definitely not a normal request. Lets not all jump to conclusions and remember that this is a public forum.
Condolences to all those involved.

[co-joe]

...

If you ask about refuelling because you think a misfuel with jet fuel may have caused this, that is a good point. If you think it ran out of fuel, that is obviously not a good point.

http://www.bst-tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-r ... 9q0181.pdf

http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/article ... ilderment/

Both involved flights long enough that improper fuel selector position led to fuel exhaustion from one wing. This doesn't seem likely because you'd feel the aircraft getting heavy on one side whereas the 2 reports above the plane was on auto pilot which masked the issue, and I doubt a flight traning machine would have had an autopilot engaged.

What else causes dual engine fail in a twin? Jet fuel would certainly do it.

Terribly sorry for the loss of life. It has been a bad year at springbank. Hopefully there is something to learn from this tragedy.

[cncpc]

http://www.kxly.com/news/local-news/nts ... /176578773

The behaviour does not seem inconsistent with a wrong fuel explanation or the transmission.

I've looked at quite a number of media accident reports in western Canada, and some from Global, and I haven't found one where the RCMP are receiving reports or whatever from people, and Crimestoppers is being used.

[cncpc]

There is a short bit on the student here.

http://www.metronews.ca/news/calgary/20 ... ified.html