TSB releases its investigation report into 2023 fatal loss of control and collision of aircraft with water at Beaverhill Lake, Alberta

Today, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) released its investigation report (A23W0096) on a 2023 fatal crash involving a DA20-C1 aircraft,operated by Cooking Lake Aviation Academy Inc.

On August 11, 2023, during a training flight from Cooking Lake Aerodrome in Alberta, the aircraft, with a flight instructor and a student pilot on board, lost control while practising a spin recovery. The aircraft remained in a spin until it collided with the surface of Beaverhill Lake, fatally injuring both occupants.

The investigation did not identify any issues related to the airframe or the engine that could have prevented a recovery from the spin. Additionally, it was not possible to determine the actions of the flight instructor and student pilot, or a reason why a spin recovery was unsuccessful because the flight data recordings were limited.

The emergency locator transmitter (ELT) did not automatically activate upon impact. The investigation found that the ELT on board was serviceable at the time of the occurrence, but the connector wiring for the automatic activation function was not installed, preventing the transmitter from activating automatically. It is presumed that the wiring had not been installed by the manufacturer during the aircraft assembly. As a result, search and rescue crews did not have a precise location for the accident, which required a much larger search area than if the emergency transmitter had activated, increasing the time it took to locate the aircraft.

Following this occurrence, the aircraft manufacturer, Diamond Aircraft Industries Inc., issued a mandatory service bulletin calling for the inspection of the ELT connector wiring and for corrective actions to be taken to ensure full functionality if necessary. Additionally, Cooking Lake Academy Inc. revised its flight operations manual, integrating emergency response procedures and formalizing a minimum altitude for upper-air work and spins.

See the investigation page for more information.