Aircraft that crashed in NWT, with no fatalities, was chartered

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The Twin Otter aircraft was carrying eight passengers and two crew members when it crashed early Wednesday afternoon about fifteen kilometers from the Diavik mine, in the Northwest Territories.

The Canadian Press

A very preliminary report from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) indicates that the small aircraft that crashed this week in the Northwest Territories, without causing any injuries, had been chartered to help build “winter roads” in the region.

The Air Tindi plane, carrying 10 people, crashed Wednesday near the Diavik diamond mine, about 300 kilometers northeast of Yellowknife. Everyone on board survived the crash.

The TSB report indicates that the Twin Otter, who was equipped with skis, left from Lake Margaret and crashed while trying to land on Lake Gras.< /p>

TSB spokesperson Hugo Fontaine said the investigation was expected to begin Friday, starting with videoconference interviews with the passengers of the aircraft. He added that TSB investigators would be at the crash site next week.

A Royal Canadian Air Force Hercules C130 search and rescue aircraft was dispatched to the site from 17 Wing in Winnipeg and parachuted troops Wednesday evening.

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Air Force spokesperson David Lavallée said the passengers, some of whom were injured, had been temporarily transported to the mine, before being transferred to Yellowknife.

The identity of the passengers and crew members, as well as that of the company responsible for building the winter roads, has not been revealed.