ST. BRIEUX, Sask. – The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has concluded its investigation into a mid air plane crash that happened west of St. Brieux, Sask. on May 12, 2012.
A Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow, heading from Nanton, Alta. to St. Brieux, Sask. and a Lake LA-4-200 Buccaneer en route from Regina to La Ronge crossed paths, bringing both down and killing everyone involved.
TSB said the collision was the result of the pilots not seeing one another.
Out of the Air Traffic Control Zone, both pilots were relying on the “see and avoid” principle. The Board admits the technique has shortcomings, but in its report, the Board did not recommend any changes to regulations.
It is being called a ‘one off’ scenario, an isolated incident, a ‘wrong place, wrong time’ circumstance.
One Saskatchewan pilot doesn’t believe this warrants a change to current regulations.
“I’ve been flying since 1957 and I’ve never had a close call” said Cecil Sorensen.
According to Sorensen, planes have blind spots. “It’s like driving a car, you look out, don’t see anything and all of a sudden there’s something there.”
As rare as a mid-air plane crash is, it ended the lives of five people: Piper pilot Denny Loree, Eric Donovan, 38, and Wade Donovan, 11, all from Alberta and Joy and Eric Jackson from Regina in the Buccaneer.
The Transportation Safety Board says there have been 18 mid-air collisions in the last decade which it considers a small number.
The report did not suggest any changes to current regulations. The investigative findings were presented to next of kin prior to the report being made public. The Transportation Safety Board says all families were agreeable to the findings.
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