Probe begins into deadly plane crash

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/01/2012 (5273 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Air crash investigators have begun the long, tedious work to determine what caused a small Winnipeg-based plane to fall out of the sky and crash into a frozen lake in northern Ontario on Tuesday, killing four of the five people on board.

John Cottreau, a Transportation Board of Canada spokesman, said Wednesday the lead crash investigator arrived at the remote North Spirit Lake First Nation, located about 400 kilometres north of Kenora, while a second investigator was expected to get there sometime later in the day.

Cottreau said it’s up to the investigators to figure out whether they can get all the information they need at the crash site or if they have to bring some or all of the plane wreckage back to Winnipeg for examination.

“They’ll take a close look at it and figure out what they need,” he said. “If they need the engine back in Winnipeg they will get the engine back.”

A twin-engine Piper PA31-350 plane owned by Keystone Air Service and carrying a pilot and four passengers was landing in what community residents say were “whiteout” conditions when it crashed onto the frozen lake surface on Tuesday at about 10 a.m., after taking off from Winnipeg.

The plane burst into flames after the crash killing the pilot, now identified as Fariborz Abasabady, 40, of Winnipeg, and three passengers. One of the passengers survived.

Aboriginal Strategies Inc. president Ben van Hoek and the company’s accountant Colette Eisinger, both of Winnipeg, and North Spirit Lake resident Martha Campbell all died in the crash.

Surviving was Brian Shead who also worked at ASI.

Shead’s wife, Tracy, said her husband is “doing well and recovering every day.

“On behalf of the family, we are very grateful that he is alive,” she said, during a brief press conference at Health Sciences Centre.

She also wanted family members of the victims of the crash to know “our hearts are with them at this time.”

A HSC spokeswoman said Shead was in stable condition.

“He is doing as well as can be expected — he was in a plane crash,” said Felicia Wiltshire. “He’s doing well and he is in good spirits.”

George Riopka, a spokesman for Keystone, said Abasabady, known by his colleagues as Fari, was hired by the company during the summer and is survived by his wife.

“The company offers its deepest condolences,” said Riopka. “Speaking with his co-workers, he was a very friendly man, very happy to work for Keystone. He was excited about flying for us.”

Riopka said Abasabady had lived in Winnipeg for about two or three years. Before being hired by Keystone he was a flight instructor.

“He had 2,400 hours of pilot experience,” Riopka said. “He had flown with Keystone for 150 hours on that type of airplane.

“I had met him briefly and he was very friendly and a nice person to be around — everyone says that,” he said.

In an emailed statement, ASI vice-president Lyndon Olfert, on behalf of the board, management and staff of ASI, grieved the loss of van Hoek and Eisinger.

“We grieve together with their families and extend our deepest condolences,” Olfert said.

“Our sympathies also extend to the family of Martha Campbell and we extend our gratitude to the many North Spirit Lake community members that assisted with the rescue efforts and with communications with our office during this stressful time.

“We pray for a speedy recovery for our co-worker, Brian Shead, the only survivor of the crash.

“Many thanks for the overwhelming support that has been communicated to us from our client community, which has become like family to us, and from many other people and businesses with whom we work every day.”

Robert Seaman, a columnist with Wing magazine, said it would be better for even small commercial planes like the Keystone craft to have had two crew members piloting it.

“I’m a big fan of duo crews,” Seaman said.

“You have two people to assist each other. Given the nature of small companies like this, you’re not having the same experience as in an Air Canada or WestJet cockpit, you’re having more younger pilots.”

Seaman said he doesn’t know if new Transport Canada proposed rules would have helped, too.

Transport Canada is currently amending the Canadian Aviation Regulations to have planes able to carry six or more passengers install terrain awareness warning systems and enhanced altitude accuracy devices so pilots would know if they were coming too close to the ground.

Transport Canada is proposing the new rules because from 1977 to 2009, 35 aircraft flew into the ground while under the control of pilots, resulting in 100 fatalities and 46 serious injuries.

The federal aviation authority estimates it would cost a total of about $59 million for all aircraft to be outfitted with the devices with operators having two years to install the TAWS and five years to add the EAA.

Chief Rita Thompson, of North Spirit Lake, could not be reached for comment.

But Anishinabek Nation Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee offered condolences to the victims’ families in a statement.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and the community of North Spirit Lake First Nation who are dealing with this terrible tragedy,” Madahbee said.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca