Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain crash, Jan 10, 2012 (4 killed)
Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain accident on January 10, 2012 near North Spirit Lake, Ontario, Canada with 4 fatalities. Cause: The pilot attempted an...
- Date: January 10, 2012
- Aircraft: Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftain
- Location: North Spirit Lake, Ontario, Canada
- Fatalities: 4
- Phase of flight: Approach and landing
- Cause: The pilot attempted an approach in adverse weather to an aerodrome without an instrument approach and continued into icing, which likely caused ice accumulation, increased drag and a higher stall speed. The aircraft stalled on final approach at a height from which recovery was not possible. Pilot inexperience and operational pressure to complete the flight were contributing factors according to the TSB.
A Keystone Air Service Piper Navajo Chieftain on a charter from Winnipeg to North Spirit Lake, Ontario, held near the lake in icing conditions while it waited for the snow-covered runway to be cleared. The pilot then descended into cloud and continued the approach in icing, and the aircraft stalled on final approach and struck the frozen lake. The pilot and three passengers were killed, one passenger was seriously injured, and the aircraft was destroyed by impact and a post-impact fire.