News release

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has published its report (A23Q0145) on the lateral runway excursion of an aircraft operated by Propair Inc., that was conducting a medical evacuation flight to Wemindji Airport (Quebec).

When the aircraft landed during the night of 4 November 2023, the propeller and the left main landing gear of the Beech King Air A100 struck a snow windrow, causing it to exit the runway. The aircraft came to rest in the snow approximately 45 feet from the edge of the landing surface. One member of the mission personnel received minor injuries.

The investigation revealed that the runway had been cleared of snow asymmetrically, leaving two snow windrows, one on each side of the runway. The operator of the snow removal vehicle, who had begun his job a few days before the occurrence, had not received training on the winter maintenance plan or the snow removal procedures specific to the airport. He therefore did not know that the entire width of the runway needed to be cleared.

Because the reduced width of the runway had not been reported, the crew presumed that the runway had been sufficiently cleared.The fact that the previous flight had landed normally reinforced their mental model, and the crew was unable to take the appropriate action in reponse to the actual conditions.

The investigation found that several components of the airport’s safety management system had not been compliant with requirements since the system had been put in place, which may have compromised its effectiveness and increased the risks to operational and aviation safety.

In 2016, the TSB issued two recommendations (A16-13 et A16-14) to Transport Canada regarding safety management systems and regulatory surveillance. Nearly 10 years later, these recommendations remain active because Transport Canada’s responses still do not address the Board’s concerns. These two issues also remain on the TSB Watchlist.

See the investigation page for more information.