Small plane with seven aboard runs out of fuel, lands safely on gravel road

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This article was published 03/11/2023 (713 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Bryon Cassie’s nerves weren’t rattled when a small plane he was a passenger in was forced to make an emergency landing on a gravel road north of Winnipeg after apparently running out of fuel Thursday.

For him, the dramatic ordeal was tame compared to riding a motorcycle on a highway or experiencing a 260-metre controlled jump and free fall from a Las Vegas tower.

“I thought it was pretty cool,” Cassie said Friday of the landing. “I like doing adventurous-type things. This was pretty sedate compared to some of the things I do.”

With a pilot and six passengers on board, the twin-propeller Piper Navajo was returning to Winnipeg’s airport from remote Sachigo Lake First Nation in Northern Ontario when the emergency unfolded.

Cassie, an ultraviolet service technician from the Winnipeg area, travelled to the community to help train staff at a water treatment plant.

One of the chartered plane’s two engines shut off over or just past Lake Winnipeg, about 10 minutes before the aircraft was scheduled to land.

“I wasn’t too worried because I know planes can fly with one engine,” said Cassie, 58. “This could have gone completely different if we had to put it down in the water.”

“This could have gone completely different if we had to put it down in the water.”–Bryon Cassie

Passengers took photos of the engine, made small talk and even cracked jokes while the flight continued. Cassie said two passengers, who are trained pilots, explained what to expect.

He was unaware the second engine had turned off when the captain told the passengers to prepare for the unscheduled landing.

“The pilot turned around and said make sure your belts are fastened and then ‘Brace, brace, brace,’” said Cassie.

The mood on board was calm, he said, as passengers looked out at snow-covered fields and scattered properties below.

While avoiding power lines, the plane landed on Pigeon Bluff Road in the Rural Municipality of St. Andrews about 20 seconds later.

“He did a really good job,” Cassie said, praising the pilot. “It was smoother than at the airport. It was just like a normal landing.”

No injuries were reported, said RCMP spokesman Sgt. Paul Manaigre.

“It was smoother than at the airport. It was just like a normal landing.”–Bryon Cassie

The Selkirk detachment received a call about a possible plane crash shortly before 5 p.m., Mounties said. No crash occurred.

Manaigre said the plane lost contact while it was approaching St. Andrews Airport. The plane apparently ran out of fuel, he added.

The aircraft came to a stop near a house about 20 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

Cassie was amused when a boy ran out and began taking photos on the unusual sight. Passengers were able to joke about the incident.

“We were in good spirits. I guess it could have been a potentially much different outcome,” said Cassie, who believes everyone on board was relieved.

Cassie said he regularly flies to remote communities for work, but this is the first time he’s experienced an issue. No one explained why the plane didn’t have enough fuel to reach its destination, he added.

Manaigre said it would be a matter for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada to look into, should it investigate.

Passengers were picked up and driven to Winnipeg, while the pilot remained with the aircraft.

RCMP officers helped St. Andrews Airport staff secure the area so the plane could be towed to nearby Highway 67, said Manaigre.

Police blocked the road, where the plane refuelled and took off for St. Andrews Airport. Officers cleared the scene at about 7:30 p.m.

St. Andrews-based Eagle Air Enterprises Ltd. declined to comment. The charter service has four small planes in its fleet, according to its website.

The TSB is still gathering information and assessing the incident to determine whether a full investigation will take place, said spokesman Hugo Fontaine.

The federal agency is responsible for investigating civil aviation incidents in or over Canada and places under Canadian air traffic control.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca