West Wind Aviation ATR 42-300 plane crash
Fond-du-Lac, Canada
The ATR-42-300 operated by West Wind Aviation took off from Fond-du-Lac, SK, Canada, for a passenger flight to Stony Rapids, SK, Canada. 22 passengers and 3 crewmembers were onboard. The plane lost height and crashed shortly after takeoff, about 1 kilometer past the runway. All occupants survived.
The West Wind Aviation turboprop crashed shortly after takeoff in the boreal forest area of northern Saskatchewan. A number of passengers and one crew member sustained serious injuries. The aircraft sustained substantial damage. The investigation report indicates that:
- The aircraft descended into trees and terrain.
- The wreckage path is at least 800 feet long.
- The aircraft is in an upright position, but tilted steeply to the right.
- The left side of the aircraft appears to have the worst damage.
- The fuselage ruptured at about seating row number 3.
Weather reports for Fond-du-Lac at the moment of the accident called for cloudy conditions (ceiling at 1700 ft) with a small chance of flurries and a low of –9°C.
The plane involved in the accident was nearly 27 years old and first purchased by the now-defunct Mexican-based Noroeste airline in 1991. It has been subsequently owned by airlines in Kenya and South Africa before it was sold to West Wind in 2012, according to Airfleets.net.
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