Summary Pilot error Crew 2 Survivors 0 Number of deaths 2 Survivor 0 Location British Columbia | Passengers 2 Fatalities 2 Date 31 July 2010 Operator Conair Group Passenger count 2 | |
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Site 15 kilometers from Lytton, British Columbia Similar Tajik National Guard hel, 2010 Okhaldhunga Twin Otte, 2010 Air Service Berlin Do, Zalingei Tarco Airlines A, 2010 Cameroon Aéro Serv | ||
Conair Aviation Flight 448 was a Conair Aviation flight that crashed while fighting a wildfire over British Columbia on 31 July 2010. The Convair CV-580 Airtanker, registration C-FKFY, crashed roughly 18 km (11 mi) south of Lytton, British Columbia, killing both crew members.
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Aircraft
The aircraft, a Convair CV-580 Airtanker, serial number 129 registered C-FKFY, manufactured in 1953, was powered by two Allison 501-D22G engines. The aircraft was equipped with a fire retardant tank and other standard equipment, but did not carry a cockpit voice recorder, flight data recorder, or a stall warning device.
Crew
The two crew members were 58-year-old Captain Tim Whiting and 36-year-old First Officer Brian Tilley with 17,000 and 5,200 flying hours respectively. Whiting had 3,500 hours in fire suppression experience, while Tilley only had 26 hours.
Flight
The aerial fire-fighting operation consisted of two aircraft; the bird dog aircraft, a Rockwell Turbo Commander 690, and the tanker aircraft, Flight 448. The bird dog aircraft directed the tanker aircraft to the area where the fire retardant was to be released. On 31 July 2010 both of these aircraft took off from Kamloops Airport and proceeded to the wildfire. While making a bombing run, the tanker aircraft suddenly lost height and hit the trees, crashing into a ravine.
Search and rescue
The aircraft crashed in a ravine roughly 18 km (11 mi) from Lytton, British Columbia, hitting tree tops before coming to a stop in the ravine. The impact started another wildfire, adding to the already large amounts of uncontrollable wildfires. The rescue operation to reach the downed flight was carried out by the British Columbia Ministry of Forest and Lands and local emergency services. The location of the crash site was pinpointed by the bird dog aircraft, allowing crews to reach the site more quickly. First responders were slowed reaching the crash site by steep terrain and the ongoing wildfire.
Examination and investigation
The investigation of the accident was carried out by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), and determined that it was caused by pilot error. Visual illusions possibly contributed to the crash due to incorrect estimations of approaching rising terrain.