Communiqués

TSB # A 17/98

(Pointe-Lebel, Quebec, 10 December 1998) - As part of its investigation into the accident that occurred near Pointe-Lebel last Monday involving a Britten-Norman Islander aircraft operated by Air Satellite Inc., the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) investigators have started to examine the aircraft.

At this early stage of the investigation, it is too soon to identify the safety deficiencies that led to the accident.

In the next few days, the TSB investigators will examine all parts of the aircraft. They will gather information on the indications provided by the flight instruments, the fuselage and the engines of the aircraft, among others. The aircraft cabin will also be examined to determine the angle and force of impact.

If necessary, the investigators will have the whole aircraft, or parts requiring further examination, shipped to the TSB Engineering Laboratory in Ottawa. Both engines will be removed from the aircraft and shipped to the laboratory for analysis.

The investigators have confirmed that there was an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) on board the aircraft. They now have to determine why it did not transmit a distress signal.

Investigators are continuing to gather information from the airport authorities, the air carrier and others involved. The investigators will meet with the pilot and the other two survivors as soon as they are capable of giving a statement.

The TSB investigation team wishes to acknowledge the outstanding cooperation of the coroner, the Sûreté du Québec, the airport authorities, the citizens of the area, and others who have assisted with the investigation from the beginning.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is an independent agency operating under its own Act of Parliament. Its sole aim is the advancement of transportation safety. It is not the function of the Board to assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.

-(30)-