WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1989

Vol, 5, Iseue No. 52

Phone 635-7840
Fax 635-7269

Interim crash report issued

The Comadian Aviation Safety
Board (CASS) has released its
interim Factual Report on Sep-
tember’s fatal Skylink Metro HT
air crash et Terrace. The report
doesn’t attempt to identify the
cause of the crash. It only con-

* tains factual information col-
lected by CASB to date. This in
itself, however, does serve the
purpose of eliminating some of
the local speculation that has
surfaced since the time of the
crash.

- by Tod Strachan

findings of the final report are
still subject to further investiga-
tion. Presented here then, in as
much detail as possible, is a
history of that fatal Skylink
flight

Skylink Flight 070, a Fairchild
Metro Wi, took off from Van-
couver international Airport’ at
6:51 a.m. on a scheduled
domestic flight to Terrace. On
board were the 33-year-old pilot,
28-year-old co-pilot, five
passengers and a quantity ef
cargo. The flight had been

b to leave V 25
minutes earlier, but for a reason,
‘Beyond that, “however; “the

that has yet to be explained, the

il

pilot turned the aircraft around
while taxiing to the runway, re-
turned part way to the terminal,
and theo turned around again
and taxied to the runway for
takeoff. .

The subsequent flight to Ter-
race appears to have gone ac-
cording to plan. The aircraft
followed the prescribed. flight
plan at an altitude of 20,000 fect
to the Kitimat non-directional
beacon. At 8:12 a.m., the Sky-
Jink crew requested and received

clearance at the Kitimat beacon
to allow a Lear jet attempting to
land at the Terracc/Kitimat Air-

port to make a second approach.
The jet landed on mmway 15 at

continued cn page 2

Flaws uncovered in
emergency response

‘As stated in the CASE Interim
Factual Brief, the Sent. 26 crash
of Skylink Filght.070 was ‘not
'. But what if there

from the Vi
Flight Centre to descend to
15,000 feet. Seven minutes later,
Flight 070 was issued a holding

ad been injured persons in need
of The

quickly brought asder control.

While all this waa toking
Blace, though, the two
manicipal fire aud
the RCMP were following the
The Terrace

antenna on the aireratt’s

1, Fane/Mitinat
case in the Sicylink i, the-
F
id .

re

lollday celebrations are happening everywhere and New Year's Eve will he here soon. With
vs in mind, 17 Thornhill Junior Secondary CounterAttack students want to remind tocat
residents of the dangers of drinking and driving. In arder to do thls, they have hand-marked
+ 000 bags, “When Drinking Don't Drive’, and delivered them to the Terrace liquor store,
+ Dove, Thornhill CounterAttack students Josee Banville and Keri Fell hand the Product of

{ ieir efforts over to tiquor store a

Barb Barker.

waa in the erssh, re- |

quiring a visual search to locate
the wreckage in fog and smoke.
The CASB report details com-
munication problems among re-

that caused

For accidents which occur
within five mites of Ter-
Airport, a5 wea.the

plan.
Fire Department was the first to

-axrive-at the airport flrekell bat

foand it unmanned. They were
sacn: joined by Thorahié fire-

‘Should have . been
of the crash by Terrace
RCMP. ‘They weren't. Kam-

member from each agency
operating from an Eniergency

Command

fireball, Overall control of
operations remains with the alr-
port fire chief. Om Sept, 26, this
plan was put to the test:

The first report of the crash as
docamented by the Terrace
Review was by a Thornhill
firefighter working at Twin
River Estates. He observed an
alreraft apparently in trouble
and after seeing smoke west of
the airport he radlocd the
Fhornhill fireball. The RCMP
were notified a short time Inter.
At the airport, the location of
the crash ste was not im.
mediately apparent duc to the
fog, and a helicopter was dise
patched on a search. The pilot
located the column of smake Sut
was unable to see the ground
and could only give an approx-
Intate location,

The alrport fire chief was the
only airport firefighter ou duty,
and he set out in one of two fire
trucks in heavy fog to search
Grst the runway, and then Beam
Stathan Road. With the guidance
of the helicopter, ke found the
crash site beside the road at 8:53
a.m,, 25 minutes after the crash,
Alone, be fought the fire. [t was

“to: the airport fire hall, Opera. Kamloops. center
:| , Hons are then to be controled by . f
& team made up of the senior «

Centre at the sirpart |

polut om, the B.C. Ambulance
service response followed the ap-
Proved emergency response pro-
cedures.”

‘The airport firechief was at
the crash scene at 8:53 a.m. and
had eliminated the runway as the
site several mizrates before, But,
the report continues: ‘The first
ambulance was dispatched ta the
alvport, and ihe second one to
Beam Station Road in case the
alrcraft had crashed ia the west
of the airport. While proceeding
up Heam Station Road, the
driver of the second ambulsuce
heard the Terrace Fire Depart-
ment trucks an the radio scanner
and [earned that the crash site
bad been located oa Beam Sia-
ton Read; bowever, shortly
after this, when he was told by
Kamlcops dispatch to proceed
to the alrport, he did not pass
this information on to
Kamtoops.

“The result of this lack of
communication was thal both

continued on page 3