Narrative:The Cessna Caravan floatplane was prepared for a pleasure flight to the Bahamas. The aircraft took off from runway 19 at Abbotsford (YXX). About one minute later, as the aircraft was climbing through an altitude of about 400 feet (120 m) above ground level and as the pilot retracted flaps from 10 to zero degrees, the aircraft became uncontrollable. The aircraft banked left, descended rapidly, and crashed in a field about one-half mile south of the runway threshold, in a left bank with a near-level pitch attitude. Weather at the time of the accident was: calm wind, visibility 30 miles, fog in the vicinity, a few clouds at 25 000 feet, temperature minus 3 degrees Celsius, dew point minus 4 degrees Celsius, and an altimeter setting of 30.46 inches of mercury.
Probable Cause:
FINDINGS AS TO CAUSES AND CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: "1. The pilot took off with frost adhering to the aircraft's lifting surfaces, which increased drag and reduced the ability of the wings to produce lift.; 2. At take-off, the aircraft was about 510 pounds in excess of its maximum take-off weight, adversely affecting aircraft performance.; 3. The aircraft experienced an aerodynamic stall and loss of control when the flaps were retracted from 10 degrees to zero. Retracting the flaps reduced the amount of lift being produced by the wing, already performing poorly because of contamination."
Accident investigation:
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Investigating agency: | TSB Canada |
Status: | Investigation completed |
Duration: | 1 year and 3 months | Accident number: | TSB Report A99P0181 | Download report: | Final report
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Classification:
Overloaded
Icing
Loss of control
Sources:
» ICAO Adrep Summary 2/00 (#93)
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Abbotsford Airport, BC to Billings-Logan International Airport, MT as the crow flies is 1090 km (681 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.