Air Transport

The fatal crash of a Cessna 208B Caravan air taxi into Lake Erie, Canada on 17 January 2004 happened because the aircraft was 15% above its maximum take-off weight and contaminated with ice, says a Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSBC) report.

Stress and fatigue probably contributed to the pilot’s decision to take off from Pelee Island bound for Windsor, Ontario, says the TSBC. After a long take-off run and shallow initial climb, the aircraft stalled as it was turning north and crashed into the lake, killing the pilot and all nine passengers.

The TSBC has recommended rapid introduction of a law requiring actual – rather than standard – passenger and luggage weights to be used in air taxi operations, and a restriction banning all Cessna Caravan models from taking off into icing conditions forecast worse than “slight” until the performance of the aircraft in icing has been further analysed.