Northwestern Air Flight 738 Explained

Northwestern Air Flight 738
Occurrence Type:Accident
Summary:Collision with terrain, under investigation
Site:near Fort Smith Airport, Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, South Slave Region, Canada
Coordinates:60.0285°N -111.9974°W
Aircraft Type:British Aerospace Jetstream
Operator:Northwestern Air
Tail Number:C-FNAA
Iata:J3738
Icao:PLR738
Callsign:POLARIS 738
Origin:Fort Smith Airport
Destination:Diavik Diamond Mine Airport
Occupants:7
Passengers:5
Crew:2
Fatalities:6
Injuries:1
Survivors:1

On 23 January 2024, Northwestern Air Flight 738, a British Aerospace Jetstream, was chartered by the Rio Tinto Group to carry mine workers from Fort Smith to the Diavik Diamond Mine, located around northeast of Yellowknife.[1] [2] The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff, from the runway near Fort Smith Airport, killing six of the seven passengers and crew.[3] [4] [5] [6] The only survivor was taken to the Fort Smith Health Centre and was later airlifted to the Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife for further treatment.[1] [7]

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a BAe-3212 Jetstream Super 31, MSN 929, registered as C-FNAA, built by British Aerospace in 1991.[6]

Accident

Shortly after taking off from runway 30, the aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 140 feet and a maximum ground speed of 160 knots, after that the plane entered a dive and it impacted trees around 938m from the runway and then it crashed about 1265m from the end of the runway and near 98m left of the centerline. After the plane impacted terrain, an extensive post crash fire destroyed most of the wreckage of Flight 738. During the impact, the sole survivor was ejected from the aircraft.[8]

Investigation

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada sent a team to investigate the cause of the crash.[9] Both of the aircraft's CVR and FDR have been recovered.[10]

Notes and References

  1. News: Heidenreich . Phil . 24 January 2024 . 6 people killed, 1 survivor after Northwest Territories plane crash: coroner's office . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240125082846/https://globalnews.ca/news/10247320/plane-crash-near-fort-smith-northwest-territories/ . 25 January 2024 . 24 January 2024 . Global News.
  2. Web site: Hradecky . Simon . 24 January 2024 . Crash: Northwestern JS32 at Fort Smith on Jan 23rd 2024, lost height after takeoff . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126151920/https://avherald.com/h?article=51411802&opt=0 . 26 January 2024 . 26 January 2024 . The Aviation Herald.
  3. News: 23 January 2024 . Coroner confirms deaths in plane crash near Fort Smith, N.W.T. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240126145336/https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7092137 . 26 January 2024 . 23 January 2024 . CBC News.
  4. News: Williams . Nia . 24 January 2024 . Plane carrying Rio Tinto workers crashes in Canada's Northwest, some killed . live . https://archive.today/20240124024424/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/plane-crashes-canadas-northwest-territories-some-killed-2024-01-24/ . 24 January 2024 . 23 January 2024 . Reuters.
  5. Web site: O'Connor . James . 23 January 2024 . BREAKING: Fatalities confirmed after aircraft crashes at Fort Smith . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240124052834/https://cklbradio.com/2024/01/23/36467/ . 24 January 2024 . CKLB Radio.
  6. Web site: Accident BAe 3212 Jetstream 32 C-FNAA . live . https://archive.today/20240222231106/https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/351124 . 22 February 2024 . 26 January 2024 . Aviation Safety Network.
  7. News: 24 January 2024 . Six dead in N.W.T. plane crash, one survivor taken to hospital . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240205211943/https://vancouver.citynews.ca/2024/01/24/nwt-update-passenger-plane-crash/ . 5 February 2024 . 24 January 2024 . CityNews Vancouver.
  8. Web site: Air transportation safety investigation A24W0008 - Transportation Safety Board of Canada . 23 January 2024 .
  9. Web site: 2024-01-25 . Air transportation safety investigation A24W0008 . 2024-04-11 . www.tsb.gc.ca . Transportation Safety Board of Canada . A24W0008.
  10. News: Blake . Emily . 30 January 2024 . TSB examining cockpit voice recorder from Fort Smith plane crash . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240204210142/https://cabinradio.ca/169338/news/south-slave/fort-smith/tsb-examining-cockpit-voice-recorder-from-fort-smith-plane-crash/ . 4 February 2024 . 30 January 2024 . Cabin Radio.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Northwestern Air Flight 738".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.