Date:	Wednesday 22 November 1995
Time:	19:02
Type:	Piper PA-31 Navajo
Owner/operator:	Navair Charter Inc.
Registration:	C-GKNB
MSN:	31-598
Year of manufacture:	1970
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Category:	Accident
Location:	7 nm ESE of Kamloops, Thompson County, British Columbia -   Canada
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Cargo
Departure airport:	Williams Lake, British Columbia (YWL/CYWL)
Destination airport:	Kamloops, British Columbia (YKA/KYKA)
Investigating agency:	TSB
Confidence Rating:	Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities

Narrative:
The Navair Charter Piper PA-31, flight FCV705, a mail courier with a crew of two, was on a night, instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan from Williams Lake, British Columbia, to Kamloops. While the crew was conducting an instrument procedure to the Kamloops airport, they flew into an area that was clear of cloud. The captain cancelled his IFR flight plan and descended for a visual flight rules (VFR) approach to the airport. At 1902 PST, the aircraft collided with trees at an elevation of 2,400 feet above sea level (asl), seven nautical miles (nm) east-southeast of the Kamloops airport. The captain was fatally injured on impact, and the first officer was seriously injured; the aircraft was destroyed during the crash and post-crash fire.

The aircraft collided with trees during a night, VFR descent over mountainous terrain because the crew had inadequate visual cues to accurately determine their height above the ground. Contributing to this accident were the captain's decision to cancel his IFR flight plan and attempt a visual approach from well outside the published VFR circuit area, the inherent risks of VFR flight in mountainous regions, and a requirement by the crew to remain clear of departing IFR traffic from the Kamloops airport.

1. CADORS 1995P0467
2. TSB Canada Aviation Investigation Report A95P0268 at http://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-reports/aviation/1995/a95p0268/a95p0268.asp
3. http://rzjets.net/aircraft/?typeid=269
4. http://www.scramble.nl/civil-database/details?bt=pa&af=520
5. [LINK NOT WORKING ANYMORE:http://www.baaa-acro.com/1995/archives/crash-of-a-piper-pa-31-navajo-chieftain-in-kamloops-1-killed/]

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Sep-2008 01:00	ASN archive	Added
30-Sep-2008 00:11	Dmitriy	Updated
30-Apr-2015 21:12	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Source, Narrative]
21-Jun-2015 23:53	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Cn, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source]
13-Oct-2017 15:51	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Aircraft type, Source]