Air transportation safety investigation A23O0046
Updated in June 2023 : This investigation is in the report phase.
Table of contents
Runway overrun
Porter Airlines
Bombardier DHC-8-402
Sault Ste. Marie Airport, Ontario
The occurrence
On 16 April 2023, a Bombardier DHC-8-402, operating as Porter Airlines flight 2691, departed Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (CYTZ), Ontario, for a night flight to Sault Ste. Marie Airport (CYAM), Ontario. After touchdown, the aircraft overran the runway. It came to a stop about 250 feet beyond the end of the runway and was stuck in grass/mud. There were no injuries, and no damage to the aircraft.
Investigation information
Map showing the location of the occurrence
Investigator-in-charge
Sébastien Lachapelle is a regional senior investigator with the Ontario region of the Air Investigations Branch. He joined the TSB in 2020.
Before joining the TSB, Mr. Lachapelle worked for various aircraft manufacturers and maintenance organizations where he occupied positions from aircraft final assembly line inspector to manager, quality assurance and regulatory compliance, including aircraft systems functional test agent and internal auditor. He also worked as an aircraft maintenance engineer.
Starting in 2007, he worked at Transport Canada as a civil aviation safety inspector and as an enforcement investigator. More recently, he worked as a technical team lead, Airworthiness.
Mr. Lachapelle holds an aircraft maintenance engineer licence from Transport Canada.
Class of investigation
This is a class 3 investigation. These investigations analyze a small number of safety issues, and may result in recommendations. Class 3 investigations are generally completed within 450 days. For more information, see the Policy on Occurrence Classification.
TSB investigation process
There are 3 phases to a TSB investigation
- Field phase: a team of investigators examines the occurrence site and wreckage, interviews witnesses and collects pertinent information.
- Examination and analysis phase: the TSB reviews pertinent records, tests components of the wreckage in the lab, determines the sequence of events and identifies safety deficiencies. When safety deficiencies are suspected or confirmed, the TSB advises the appropriate authority without waiting until publication of the final report.
- Report phase: a confidential draft report is approved by the Board and sent to persons and corporations who are directly concerned by the report. They then have the opportunity to dispute or correct information they believe to be incorrect. The Board considers all representations before approving the final report, which is subsequently released to the public.
For more information, see our Investigation process page.
The TSB is an independent agency that investigates air, marine, pipeline, and rail transportation occurrences. 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.