Cessna 150M, Flyblocktime Inc., C-GJAO: Fatal accident occurred November 11, 2014 in Whitney, Ontario

Faulty navigation receiver led to fatal 2014 Algonquin Park plane crash: Transportation Safety Board of Canada 

A Cessna 150 crashed in a wooded area in Algonquin Park in November 2014, killing the two people aboard, due to faulty navigation equipment and limited visibility, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

The pilot of the two-seat plane left Rockcliffe Airport in Ottawa just after 6 p.m. on Nov. 11, 2014, destined for the Toronto Buttonville Municipal Airport, the TSB said in its investigation report released Tuesday.

Just before 8:30 p.m., the pilot sent a distress signal indicating that he was lost and that the plane was low on fuel, the TSB said. Despite attempts by air traffic control to help the pilot find a place to land, the plane crashed near Whitney, Ont., around 9:30 p.m., shortly after the pilot's last radio transmission, according to the TSB.

A search-and-rescue team found the crash site in the south end of Algonquin Park around 11:40 p.m. but were unable to make it to the scene until 3 a.m. due to poor weather, the TSB said.

Air traffic control given incorrect information

The TSB found that the pilot's onboard navigation receiver was periodically displaying incorrect information and was prone to overheating. Since the pilot was relaying incorrect information to air traffic control, that rendered "assistance ineffective," the TSB said.

Investigators concluded another challenge was that the plane was flying in darkness, below a layer of clouds and above land with few ground lights.

"Shortly before the accident, the pilot entered a shallow descent, possibly in an effort to maintain visual flight in deteriorating weather, and as a result, the aircraft struck a heavily-treed area," the report said.

The pilot was certified to fly and had the appropriate medical certificate, the TSB found.

The pilot and his passenger had been on a day trip from the Toronto Buttonville Municipal Airport, stopping at Trois-Rivières Airport, Peterborough Airport and Rockcliffe Airport the day of the crash.

Read the full report here: https://www.documentcloud.org

Original article can be found here: http://www.cbc.ca

 

 Ravindran Arulanandar, left, and Logesh Lakshmikanthan, right.

 

Kalyani Arulanandar mourns son, Ravindran, at his funeral in Scarborough. 

NTSB Identification: CEN15WA052 

Accident occurred Tuesday, November 11, 2014 in Whitney, ON
Aircraft: CESSNA 150, registration:
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. The foreign authority was the source of this information.

On November 11, 2014, at 2130 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 150M airplane, Canadian registered C-GJAO , owned and operated by Flyblocktime Inc., was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Whitney, Ontario, Canada. The pilot and one passenger were fatally injured. The meteorological conditions at the time of the accident are unknown. The flight originated from Ottawa, Ontario and was en route to Toronto, Ontario.

The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Government. Further information may be obtained from:

Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Place du Centre
200 Promenade du Portage, 4th Floor
Gatineau, Quebec
K1A 1K8

Phone: 1 (800) 387-3557
Fax: 1 (819) 997-2239
Webpage: http://www.tsb.gc.ca

This report is for informational purposes only and contains only information released by or obtained from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.