| Date: | Wednesday 29 August 1979 |
| Time: | 23:00 |
| Type: |  de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter 300 |
| Owner/operator: | Bradley Air Services |
| Registration: | C-GROW |
| MSN: | 415 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1974 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5286 hours |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 0,4 km E of Frobisher Bay Airport, NU (YFB) -
 Canada
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Non-Scheduled/charter/Air Taxi |
| Departure airport: | Brevoort Island Airstrip, NU (CWOB) |
| Frobisher Bay Airport, NU (YFB/CYFB) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter passenger plane was destroyed in an accident near Frobisher Bay Airport, NU (YFB), Canada. All nine on board were killed.
The airplane, C-GROW, was being used for a series of flights between Frobisher (YFB) and Brevoort Island, a distance of 119 n.m. These flights were conducted under visual flight rules (VFR) with a Flight Notification filed at Frobisher.
Two return flights were accomplished without incident and the aircraft was flown back to Brevoort for another round trip. On the final flight the aircraft, with the same two pilots and with seven passengers, left Brevoort at 21:57 hours local time enroute to Frobisher. The pilots contacted Frobisher Flight Service Station (FSS) at 22:31 reporting at 6000 feet altitude estimating Frobisher in 15 minutes. Upon receiving the latest weather indicating conditions below VFR limits, they requested clearance for "Special VFR". This clearance was granted.
Another weather report was transmitted by the Frobisher FSS giving the 22:44 observation in which the ceiling had lowered to 400 ft with the visibility at 8 miles and the wind from 190 deg M at 22 knots.
The pilot stated they would make a front course ILS approach to runway 36 with a landing on 18. At 22:58 they were issued a clearance for an ILS approach. They subsequently reported outbound at procedure turn altitude and at that time confirmed their planned approach for runway 36 with circling for 18. This was the last radio transmission from C-GROW.
The Twin Otter was seen flying north along the runway. It then struck high ground about 1200 feet east of the runway and about 100 feet above runway level.
It is quite possible that there was low cloud over the terrain east of the runway; when the aircraft had nearly completed its turn, it entered low cloud and the crew lost visual contact; the crew continued the right turn probably expecting to become visual again because they knew that good visibility existed over the runway; they did not regain contact with the ground and runway environment however and impacted the higher ground to the east of the runway.
The final report did not contain a Probable Cause statement.
Sources:
CASB Final Report
Location
Images:
photo (c) Andy Morley; Brevoort Island Airstrip, NU (CWOB); 29 August 1979
Revision history:
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