TSB rules out weather, mechanical issues in B.C. plane crash that killed 3

On Saturday, crews could be seen removing the wreckage from the forested area where the plane crashed. (CTV)

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has ruled out weather and mechanical performance as potential contributors to a small plane crash that killed a flight instructor and two students in British Columbia in 2023.

The federal agency says the fatal crash near the Chilliwack airport was instead likely the result of conducting “asymmetric thrust exercises” without enough altitude or airspeed, causing the plane to nosedive into the ground.

The exercises involve flying on one engine – either exclusively or predominantly – to practise controlling the aircraft in the event of partial engine failure.

The twin-engine Piper PA-34 Seneca aircraft crashed at approximately 2 p.m. on Oct. 6, 2023, killing all three people on board and narrowly missing the Chilliwack Motor Inn.

The TSB investigation report released Wednesday says the small plane was approaching the Chilliwack airport less than 100 feet from the ground when it banked and turned to the right.

The aircraft continued to bank hard until it was pitched “nose down” and crashed in a “close-to-inverted” orientation, according to the report.

The collision was captured on the dash-camera of a vehicle passing the airport at 1:59 p.m., allowing air safety investigators to recreate the aircraft’s final moments.

An examination of the video and the aircraft wreckage indicate the plane entered a “minimum control speed roll” before striking the ground.

The minimum control speed for the Piper Seneca aircraft is approximately 129 km/h, according to the airplane operating manual, and that minimum speed should not be approached with only one engine operating, the TSB said.

The manual also states that demonstrations of uncontrolled flight conditions in the Piper Seneca aircraft should only be attempted with a minimum altitude of 3,500 feet, the report said.

Investigators who inspected the wreckage determined the plane’s left engine was producing power at the time of impact with the ground, while the plane’s right engine was producing “low or no power.”

The investigation found the SkyQuest Aviation Ltd. instructor was appropriately licensed and rated with more than 1,000 hours of total flight time, including 52 hours of multi-engine flight time, at the time of the crash.

SkyQuest Aviation a flight school that operates out of Langley Regional Airport.

The TSB report concluded by recommending that asymmetric thrust exercises should always be performed with enough altitude and airspeed to recover in the event of a minimum control speed roll.