The Transportation Safety Board of Canada released a report on Wednesday after its investigation of a deadly plane crash in Alberta that happened in 2023.
A privately-registered small aircraft crashed near Claresholm, Alta., on Aug. 28, 2023.
At around 7:30 p.m. on the night of the crash, it was reported to RCMP that a Cessna 152 aircraft crashed northeast of the Claresholm airport.
The pilot, a 24-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene. The TSB’s investigation revealed she had worked for AFS Aerial Photography Inc., since June 2023. She held a commercial pilot licence and had 391 hours of flight experience.
The report stated the 24-year-old had not flown for 31 days ahead of the crash because her aircraft was not in service. It was having its right wing repaired.
The investigation revealed that the aircraft that crashed near Claresholm Industrial Aerodrome, had been a part of a previous incident where it was damaged in July 2023.
On July 27, the pilot of the Cessna 152 aircraft was forced to land after the engine lost power because of fuel exhaustion. The TSB said during the “landing roll” on July 27, the right wing was damaged after hitting a sign. Both wings were removed, repaired and put back on.
On Aug. 28, the day of the fatal crash, the TSB said this aircraft was being tested after it had been “conditionally released by the maintenance provider pending a satisfactory test flight for straight and level flight.”
“Company management instructed the pilot to do a longer run-up to ensure there were no mechanical issues and, after takeoff, to fly near the aerodrome for 20 minutes,” the TSB said.
Before the flight, a fuel leak was discovered, so it was repaired. The plane was inspected further and a “rough paint texture” on the right wing that had been previously repaired was found. The aircraft was deemed safe for a test flight.
The small plane left the runway at 7:28 p.m. and crashed soon after. The TSB report stated that eyewitnesses saw the plan in “shallow climb and then turning sharply before entering in a steep descent.” Police and fire crews responded within five minutes, but the pilot had sustained fatal injuries.
The report released by the TSB on Wednesday states that “a review of the records of the maintenance performed as a result of the 27 July 2023 occurrence indicated that the required work had been completed in accordance with the manufacturer’s maintenance manual.”
“This maintenance included a leak check of the pitot system, a functional check of the stall warning system, and an independent check of the flight control systems affected by the maintenance activities surrounding the reinstallation of both wings.”
The report noted that “ground scars and damage to the aircraft were consistent with the aircraft contacting the ground in a spin to the left.”
“Because of a lack of flight path data, the investigation could not determine a reason for the aerodynamic stall and spin,” the TSB noted.
“In summary, notwithstanding the extent of the damage, the investigation did not discover anything mechanical that could have led to the aerodynamic stall and spin.”