West Wind Aviation ATR 42-300 plane crash
Fond-du-Lac, Canada
![West Wind Aviation ATR 42-300 plane crash - Fond-du-Lac, Canada West Wind Aviation ATR 42-300 plane crash - Fond-du-Lac, Canada](latest/2017/ATR42_Westwind_im1.jpg)
Updated on
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.
![ATR 42-300 Aircraft similar to the one which crashed (ATR 42-300)](latest/2017/ATR42_Westwind.jpg)
![Fond-du-Lac, Canada (Red dot on map) Fond-du-Lac, Canada](latest/2017/ATR42_Westwind_map.gif)