Air Ontario - Accidents and Incidents

Accidents and Incidents

• On 1 November 1988, Douglas C-47A C-FBJE crashed into Pikangikum Lake on a domestic cargo flight from Red Lake Airport to Pikangikum Airport. Two of the three people on board were killed.
• On March 10, 1989, Air Ontario Flight 1363, operated by Fokker F28-1000 Fellowship C-FONF, crashed near Dryden, Ontario immediately after take-off en route from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg via Dryden. The aircraft crashed after only forty-nine seconds after liftoff because it was not able to achieve enough altitude to clear the trees beyond the end of the runway due to ice and snow on the wings, causing the death of 21 of 65 passengers and 3 of 4 crew members. Some of the survivors were able to escape from the plane on their own but the others were carried to safety. The accident happened because the APU-engine did not work, and the airline decided that one of the main engines could be on at Dryden. However, the necessary de-icing was possible only when both main engines are stopped.