Air Ontario Flight 1363
Encyclopedia
Air Ontario Flight 1363 was an Air Ontario
flight
of a Fokker F28-1000 Fellowship
which crashed near Dryden, Ontario
on March 10, 1989 immediately after take-off en route from Thunder Bay
to Winnipeg
via Dryden
. The aircraft crashed after only 15 seconds because it was not able to achieve enough altitude to clear the trees beyond the end of the runway due to ice and snow on the wings, causing the death of 21 of 65 passengers and 3 of 4 crew members. Some of the survivors were able to escape from the plane on their own and the others were carried to safety.
(APU), and no available external power unit at Dryden Regional Airport
, led to questionable decision-making which were critical factors leading to the crash of Flight 1363. If the engines
had been turned off, they could not be restarted again due to the unservicibility of the APU and lack of external power. Therefore, the engines were left running during the stopover in Dryden. Snow was falling gently that afternoon and a layer of 0.6 to 1.3 centimetres of snow had accumulated on the wings. The wings needed to be de-iced before takeoff, but the Fokker
F-28 aircraft is never supposed to be de-iced
while the engines are running due to the risk of toxic fumes getting into the cabin of the aircraft. The pilot therefore did not request to have the wings de-iced; at the time airline instructions were unclear on this point but the subsequent report was very critical of this decision.
Fuel needed to be loaded and was done with the engines running while passengers were on board (known as a hot refuel). Off-loading and reloading passengers would have taken considerable time and the longer the aircraft stayed on the ground the greater was the need for the wings to be sprayed with de-icing fluid. In order to prevent further delay and greater possibility for build up on the wings, the pilot, Captain George John Morwood, decided to have the aircraft fuelled while the engines were running and with passengers on board. Although this is a very dubious procedure, it was not then, and still isn't, prohibited by Transport Canada
. Airline instructions were also inconsistent.
. His report showed that competitive pressures caused by commercial deregulation cut into safety standards and that many of the industry’s sloppy practices and questionable procedures placed the pilot in a very difficult situation. The report also stated that the aircraft should not have been scheduled to refuel at an airport which did not have proper equipment and that neither training nor manuals had sufficiently warned the pilot of the dangers of ice on the wings. Moshansky blamed Transport Canada for letting Air Ontario expand into operation of bigger, more complicated aircraft without detecting the deficiencies of their existing aircraft.
As a result of the crash of Air Ontario Flight 1363, and the resulting investigation, many significant changes were made to the Canadian Aviation Regulations
. These included not only new procedures regarding re-fuelling and de-icing but also many new regulations intended to improve the general safety of all future flights in Canada.
show Mayday
(known as Air Emergency in the US and Air Crash Investigation in the rest of world). The episode is entitled "Cold Case."
Air Ontario
Air Ontario Inc. was a Canadian airline now part of Air Canada Jazz. It was headquartered in London, Ontario.- History :Air Ontario Inc. was established in June 1987, with the merger of Austin Airways, Canada’s oldest airline, which began service in 1934, and Air Ontario Ltd...
flight
Flight
Flight is the process by which an object moves either through an atmosphere or beyond it by generating lift or propulsive thrust, or aerostatically using buoyancy, or by simple ballistic movement....
of a Fokker F28-1000 Fellowship
Fokker F28
The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a short range jet airliner designed and built by defunct Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:...
which crashed near Dryden, Ontario
Dryden, Ontario
Dryden is the second-largest city in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located on Wabigoon Lake. It is the smallest community in the province of Ontario designated as a city...
on March 10, 1989 immediately after take-off en route from Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay
-In Canada:Thunder Bay is the name of three places in the province of Ontario, Canada along Lake Superior:*Thunder Bay District, Ontario, a district in Northwestern Ontario*Thunder Bay, a city in Thunder Bay District*Thunder Bay, Unorganized, Ontario...
to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
via Dryden
Dryden, Ontario
Dryden is the second-largest city in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located on Wabigoon Lake. It is the smallest community in the province of Ontario designated as a city...
. The aircraft crashed after only 15 seconds because it was not able to achieve enough altitude to clear the trees beyond the end of the runway due to ice and snow on the wings, causing the death of 21 of 65 passengers and 3 of 4 crew members. Some of the survivors were able to escape from the plane on their own and the others were carried to safety.
Investigation
The investigation revealed that an unserviceable auxiliary power unitAuxiliary power unit
An auxiliary power unit is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft, as well as some large land vehicles.-Function:...
(APU), and no available external power unit at Dryden Regional Airport
Dryden Regional Airport
Dryden Regional Airport, , is located northeast of Dryden, Ontario, Canada.-Airlines and destinations:-External links:* on COPA's Places to Fly airport directory*...
, led to questionable decision-making which were critical factors leading to the crash of Flight 1363. If the engines
Jet engine
A jet engine is a reaction engine that discharges a fast moving jet to generate thrust by jet propulsion and in accordance with Newton's laws of motion. This broad definition of jet engines includes turbojets, turbofans, rockets, ramjets, pulse jets...
had been turned off, they could not be restarted again due to the unservicibility of the APU and lack of external power. Therefore, the engines were left running during the stopover in Dryden. Snow was falling gently that afternoon and a layer of 0.6 to 1.3 centimetres of snow had accumulated on the wings. The wings needed to be de-iced before takeoff, but the Fokker
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
F-28 aircraft is never supposed to be de-iced
Deicing
For snow and ice control on roadways and similar facilities, see Snow removalDe-icing is defined as removal of snow, ice or frost from a surface...
while the engines are running due to the risk of toxic fumes getting into the cabin of the aircraft. The pilot therefore did not request to have the wings de-iced; at the time airline instructions were unclear on this point but the subsequent report was very critical of this decision.
Fuel needed to be loaded and was done with the engines running while passengers were on board (known as a hot refuel). Off-loading and reloading passengers would have taken considerable time and the longer the aircraft stayed on the ground the greater was the need for the wings to be sprayed with de-icing fluid. In order to prevent further delay and greater possibility for build up on the wings, the pilot, Captain George John Morwood, decided to have the aircraft fuelled while the engines were running and with passengers on board. Although this is a very dubious procedure, it was not then, and still isn't, prohibited by Transport Canada
Transport Canada
Transport Canada is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities portfolio...
. Airline instructions were also inconsistent.
Result
The accident investigation was subsumed into a judicial inquiry under the Honourable Virgil P. MoshanskyVirgil P. Moshansky
Virgil P. Moshansky, QC is a former Justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta.- Air Ontario Flight 1363 :On March 10, 1989, Air Ontario Flight 1363 crashed near Dryden, Ontario. Moshansky presided over the judicial inquiry...
. His report showed that competitive pressures caused by commercial deregulation cut into safety standards and that many of the industry’s sloppy practices and questionable procedures placed the pilot in a very difficult situation. The report also stated that the aircraft should not have been scheduled to refuel at an airport which did not have proper equipment and that neither training nor manuals had sufficiently warned the pilot of the dangers of ice on the wings. Moshansky blamed Transport Canada for letting Air Ontario expand into operation of bigger, more complicated aircraft without detecting the deficiencies of their existing aircraft.
As a result of the crash of Air Ontario Flight 1363, and the resulting investigation, many significant changes were made to the Canadian Aviation Regulations
Canadian Aviation Regulations
The Canadian Aviation Regulations are the rules that govern civil aviation in Canada.-Establishment:The CARs became law on October 10, 1996 replacing the former Air Regulations and Air Navigation Orders. The authority for the establishment of the CARs is the Aeronautics Act...
. These included not only new procedures regarding re-fuelling and de-icing but also many new regulations intended to improve the general safety of all future flights in Canada.
Dramatization
The story of the disaster was featured on the ninth season of Canadian National Geographic ChannelNational Geographic Channel
National Geographic Channel, also commercially abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo, is a subscription television channel that airs non-fiction television programs produced by the National Geographic Society. Like History and the Discovery Channel, the channel features documentaries with factual...
show Mayday
Mayday (TV series)
Mayday, also known as Air Crash Investigation in the United Kingdom, Australia and Asia and Air Emergency and Air Disasters in the United States, is a Canadian documentary television programme produced by Cineflix investigating air crashes, near-crashes and other disasters...
(known as Air Emergency in the US and Air Crash Investigation in the rest of world). The episode is entitled "Cold Case."
See also
- USAir Flight 405USAir Flight 405USAir Flight 405 was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight between LaGuardia Airport in New York City, and Cleveland, Ohio. On March 22, 1992, a USAir Fokker F28, registration N485US, flying the route, crashed in poor weather in a partially inverted position in Flushing Bay, New York,...
, a nearly identical crash of a Fokker F28 under similar weather conditions in 1992
External links
- Canada jet crash leaves 1 dead and 22 missing, Houston ChronicleHouston ChronicleThe Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
. Saturday March 11, 1989. A16. - CBC Breaking News Bulletin, March 10, 1989