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

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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

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