Pilot’s response to engine failure led to fatal Yukon crash last year: safety board

The Transportation Safety Board has found a pilot’s actions led to a crash that killed one passenger and left four others seriously injured in the Yukon last year.

The board has released its report on the crash that took place at the Haines Junction Aerodrome as the pilot of the Cessna 206 was preparing to land after a sightseeing flight over Kluane National Park and Reserve in July 2024.

It says the plane was approaching the aerodrome when it ran out of fuel in the selected tank, leading to a complete loss of power from “fuel starvation.”

The report says the pilot had routinely relied on memory in his job instead of checklists that would have indicated the need to switch to the fuller fuel tank, and he did not follow a plan to switch over a known landmark earlier in the flight.

The report says the pilot tried to restart the engine by switching to the other tank after losing power but failed because the auxiliary fuel pump was not activated.

It says the pilot attempted a 180 degree turn to align with the runway, but the plane entered an aerodynamic stall, or a sudden loss of lift, crashing and killing one passenger and leaving the other five occupants with “broken backs.”

The safety board report concludes the pilot’s reliance on memory in his day-to-day operations contributed to his missing the switch to the fuller fuel tank.

It says the pilot’s actions in response to the loss of power did not follow the aircraft manufacturer’s procedure for restarting an engine mid-flight, while his steep turn led to an accelerated stall at an altitude that was too low to allow for recovery.

There was no indication that a component or system malfunction played a role in the crash and weather was not found to be a factor, the report says.

It notes that pilots operating unpressurized aircraft at a particular altitude longer than set limits are at greater risk of degraded cognitive function due to hypoxia.

“It is possible that the pilot on this flight was experiencing, unbeknownst to him, the effects of hypoxia,” the report says.

But it says the investigation “found no evidence” to suggest the effects of hypoxia contributed to the pilot missing his cues to switch fuel tanks.

Still, the report says the pilot’s perception of the risks associated with hypoxia was likely minimized because he had frequently operated at altitudes of 10,000 feet above sea level or higher for prolonged periods of time without consequences.

The safety board says the tour company, Rocking Star Adventures Ltd., suspended all flight operations after the crash while it completed its own review.

The company identified several areas for improvement, it says, including the provision of additional training to all pilots, changes to emergency simulation procedures and the addition of on-board fuel-check warnings every 30 minutes.

The pilot was one of the company’s most senior, the report adds, completing his commercial training in the territory and receiving his license in 2014.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2025.