Conair Aviation Flight 448

Conair Aviation Flight 448
A Conair Convair CV-580 airtanker sister-ship of the one involved in the crash
Accident
Date 31 July 2010
Summary Pilot error
Site 15 kilometers from Lytton, British Columbia
Aircraft
Aircraft type Convair CV-580 Airtanker
Operator Conair Aviation
Registration C-FKFY
Flight origin Kamloops Airport
Kamloops, British Columbia
Destination Kamloops Airport
Kamloops, British Columbia
Passengers 0
Crew 2
Fatalities 2
Survivors 0

Conair Aviation Flight 448 was a Conair Aviation flight that crashed while fighting a wildfire over British Columbia on 31 July 2010. The Convair CV-580 Airtanker, registration C-FKFY, crashed roughly 18 km (11 mi) south of Lytton, British Columbia, killing both crew members.

Involved

Aircraft

The aircraft, a Convair CV-580 Airtanker, serial number 129 registered C-FKFY, manufactured in 1953, was powered by two Allison 501-D22G engines. The aircraft was equipped with a fire retardant tank and other standard equipment, but did not carry a cockpit voice recorder, flight data recorder, or a stall warning device.[1][2][3]

Crew

The two crew members were 58-year-old Captain Tim Whiting and 36-year-old First Officer Brian Tilley with 17,000 and 5,200 flying hours respectively. Whiting had 3,500 hours in fire suppression experience, while Tilley only had 26 hours.[1][4]

Flight

The aerial fire-fighting operation consisted of two aircraft; the bird dog aircraft, a Rockwell Turbo Commander 690, and the tanker aircraft, Flight 448. The bird dog aircraft directed the tanker aircraft to the area where the fire retardant was to be released. On 31 July 2010 both of these aircraft took off from Kamloops Airport and proceeded to the wildfire. While making a bombing run, the tanker aircraft suddenly lost height and hit the trees, crashing into a ravine.[1]

Investigation

Search and rescue

The aircraft crashed in a ravine roughly 18 km (11 mi) from Lytton, British Columbia, hitting tree tops before coming to a stop in the ravine. The impact started another wildfire, adding to the already large amounts of uncontrollable wildfires.[1][5] The rescue operation to reach the downed flight was carried out by the British Columbia Ministry of Forest and Lands and local emergency services. The location of the crash site was pinpointed by the bird dog aircraft, allowing crews to reach the site more quickly. First responders were slowed reaching the crash site by steep terrain and the ongoing wildfire.[5][6]

Examination and investigation

The investigation of the accident was carried out by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), and determined that it was caused by pilot error. Visual illusions possibly contributed to the crash due to incorrect estimations of approaching rising terrain.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Aviation Investigation Report A10P0244" (PDF). Transportation Safety Board of Canada. July 31, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  2. ↑ "ASN Aircraft accident Convair CV-580 Airtanker C-FKFY Lytton, BC". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Firefighting plane crashes in Canada". Seattle Times. July 31, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Pilots killed in B.C. air tanker crash named - British Columbia". CBC News. August 2, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Firefighting plane crashes in Canada". Washington Times. August 1, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Firefighting Plane Crash in Canada Kills Two". CBS News. AP. August 1, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
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