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| Date: | Friday 13 September 1996 |
| Time: | 23:00 UTC |
| Type: |  Cessna A185F |
| Owner/operator: | Tsayta Aviation |
| Registration: | C-GVTV |
| MSN: | 18503817 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1979 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Muskwa Creek, British Columbia -
 Canada
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | |
| Investigating agency: | TSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Crashed at its destination on a gravel bar in Muskwa Creek. The passenger sustained fatal injuries, and the pilot was seriously injured.
The pilot and two passengers flew to a remote mountain valley in a Cessna 185, fixed gear, high wing aeroplane several days before the accident, and landed on a dry creek bed.
On 12 September they decided to relocate their temporary hunting camp to another area about five miles away. One of the group members left on foot at about 06:00 pacific standard time (pst), while the pilot and remaining passenger waited for more favourable wind conditions before attempting to take off. At approximately 08:00 pst, the pilot decided that the surface wind was suitable for take-off. He later recalled that he could distinctly hear the wind above and that he could see a lenticular cloud over a near-by mountain peak. the pilot positioned the aircraft on the rough, stone-covered creek bed and took-off northward, out of the semi-closed valley. At about 35 feet above ground level (agl), after becoming airborne at a low airspeed, the aircraft encountered a severe wind shear. The pilot applied full power and full flaps; however, the aircraft descended rapidly, still in a nose-up attitude, and struck the ground. The tail wheel assembly separated from the aircraft and was destroyed. The aircraft then continued forward along the rock-strewn creek bed, apparently still under power, traversing significant vertical irregularities and contacting boulders, some measuring 12-inches in diameter.
The imprints of the landing gear tires were visible for about 1,000 feet further along the creek bed, where the aircraft struck a six-foot embankment. The propeller struck the embankment and separated from the engine and the aircraft became airborne for about 100 feet as it careened over the embankment. The aircraft eventually came to rest in a shallow creek about 2,500 feet from the start of the take-off. There was no sign at any point along the take-off path that the pilot had attempted to reject the take-off. The passenger was fatally injured and the pilot was seriously injured during the accident; the aircraft was substantially damaged.
The aircraft's emergency locator transmitter was activated by the impact, and a successful rescue was effected by the rescue coordination centre.
Each blade of the three-bladed propeller had several inches missing from the tip, and impact gouges were present on the leading edge and face of each blade. The engine mounting studs were pulled out of the propeller hub. The field examination of the engine did not reveal any indication of pre-impact failure nor did the pilot report a power loss during the take-off attempt.
The pilot estimated that the aircraft's centre of gravity was within limits, and that the aircraft weighed 2,750 pounds at take-off; about 600 pounds below the maximum gross weight of 3,350 pounds.
The cool air flowing from the large glacier located at the head of the valley in which the accident occurred, likely produced strong down-slope winds in the valley. The lenticular clouds observed by the pilot also denoted the presence of mountain waves which can produce severe vertical currents, turbulence and wind shear.The accident aircraft's main wheels were fitted with goodyear tires, size 26 x 10.5 x 6; the approved tire size is 6:00 x 6 and 8:00 x 6. Transport canada has ruled that the aircraft's certificate of airworthiness was not in force at the time of the accident because the larger tires constituted an unapproved aircraft modification.
Sources:
TSB A96P0207
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 27-Sep-2008 01:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 19-Mar-2025 06:52 | ASN | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Phase, Nature, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
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