Propair Flight 420
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- Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
- 45°40′47″N 74°02′19″W / 45.67972°N 74.03861°W
.jpg) A Fairchild Metroliner SA226, similar to the one involved in the accident | |
| Occurrence | |
|---|---|
| Date | 18 June 1998 |
| Summary | Structural failure following in-flight fire |
| Site |
|
 | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Fairchild Metroliner SA226 |
| Operator | Propair |
| Call sign | PROPAIR 420 |
| Registration | C-GQAL |
| Flight origin | Dorval Airport, Montréal, Quebec, Canada |
| Destination | Peterborough Airport, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupants | 11 |
| Passengers | 9 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 11 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Propair Flight 420 (PRO420) was a domestic charter flight from Montreal, Quebec to Peterborough, Ontario. The flight was carried out by Propair, a charter airline based in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, using a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner. On 18 June 1998, the aircraft suffered an in-flight fire shortly after take-off from Dorval and the crew elected to conduct an emergency landing at Montréal–Mirabel International Airport. The intense heat of the fire caused a structural failure in the left wing during the landing and the aircraft crashed, resulting in the deaths of all 11 passengers and crew on board.
The investigation conducted by the Canadian Transportation Safety Board revealed that the left brakes of Flight 420 had overheated during take-off, causing a fire inside the wheel-well which destroyed warning systems, as a result of which the crew was unaware of the severity of the fire, which subsequently ruptured hydraulic pipe-lines and spread to the left wing.
Following the accident, the Canadian TSB issued several recommendations, one of which was a recommendation to the FAA regarding the crew training and flight manual, and another being a recommendation to install an overheat warning system inside the wheel-wells of every Metroliner; before the accident, warning systems were not required on such aircraft.
Propair Flight 420 took off from Dorval Airport (now Montréal–Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport) at 07:01 EDT carrying 9 passengers and 2 crew members. The flight was chartered by General Electric to transport personnel to a GE facility in Peterborough, Ontario. It was foggy at the time with light winds blowing from the right side of the aircraft. Flight 420 was cleared to 16,000 feet (4,877 m).[1]: 1
At 07:13, the crew of Flight 420 informed the tower that there was a decrease on the hydraulic pressure and requested to return to the airport. Dorval Tower cleared Flight 420's request to return and ordered them to descend to 8,000 feet (2,438 m) and make a 180-degree turn. At the time there was no indication that the flight was in grave danger.[1]: 1
Approximately 30 seconds after Flight 420's request to return, control problems started to occur. The aircraft became harder to control and a warning indicator showed that an engine problem was developing. 40 seconds later, the wing overheat warning system was illuminated. Before the crew had conducted the checklist for handling such an emergency, the warning light went off. 5 minutes later, the left engine appeared to be on fire. The crew later shut down the engine.[1]: 1
The aircraft could barely be controlled by the crew; an abnormal right aileron input was needed to keep the aircraft on heading. Dorval Tower then suggested that the crew divert to Montréal–Mirabel International Airport. The crew agreed.[2] The fire intensified and the crew could see that fire was coming out from the engine nacelle. The crew then conducted emergency checklist and configured the aircraft for landing.[1]: 1
At 07:23, the crew stated that the fire in the left wing had died out. However, less than four minutes later, they announced that the fire had started again. The aircraft became harder to control and even started to roll. Maximum aileron trim were set by the crew. While Flight 420 was on short final, the landing gear was deployed.[1]: 1
When Flight 420 was near the runway threshold, the severely damaged left wing failed. The aircraft then rotated 90 degrees to the left: fuel spilled from the aircraft and ignited. The aircraft spiralled and crashed, coming to rest on the left side of Runway 24. Both crew members and all nine passengers on board died. Two passengers initially survived the crash, but ultimately died of their injuries.[3][1]: 1
Passengers and crew
The flight was chartered by General Electric to transport their workers to their facility in Lachine, Quebec and Peterborough, Ontario. Flight 420 was carrying 9 passengers (initially reported 10). All of them were engineers, working as a team in the design of hydroelectric turbines, and were regular commuters.[4]
Speaking on a press conference, Company President of Propair, Jean Pronovost, claimed that both pilots were, "very professional.” [4]
The pilot of the flight was identified as 35-year-old Captain Jean Provencher. He began his pilot career as a first officer on the type in November 1986 to May 1996. He served as captain and as check pilot on similar aircraft types for several air carriers. In May 1996, he was hired by Propair as company chief pilot. He had accumulated a total of 6,515 flying hours, of which 4,200 of them were on the type.[1]: 3
The co-pilot was identified as 35-year-old Walter Stricker. Stricker began his pilot career in June 1995. In March 1998, he was hired as a first officer by Propair. He earned his first officer endorsement on May 9, and started his training and line check phase on May 13. He had accumulated a total of 2,730 flying hours, of which 93 of them were on the type.[1]: 3