Collision with communication tower killed two pilots near Shaunavon: TSB

Two pilots were killed in September when their small plane collided with a communication tower near Shaunavon.

That’s the finding from the final report into the crash by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

On Sept. 18, the Cessna 172 aircraft owned by Airborne Energy Solutions was conducting multiple flights between Estevan and Swift Current. The two pilots on board were gathering electronic data on pipeline infrastructure for a client along a predetermined route that extended southeast of Shaunavon, then eastward to Estevan.

According to the TSB, just after 10 a.m., the plane collided with the tower southwest of Shaunavon. A four-foot section of the aircraft’s right wing was shorn off and was discovered at the base of the tower. The plane descended almost immediately to the ground and the wreckage was almost completely destroyed in a fire.

The aircraft’s 406 MHz emergency locator transmitter was destroyed on impact and no signal from it was received by the search and rescue satellite system.

The investigation could not determine why the collision occurred. Both pilots were seasoned flyers with all of the appropriate licensing, the tower was marked and lit as required, and it was a relatively sunny day with little cloud. However, the TSB does state it’s possible that glare from the sun obscured the pilots’ view of the communications tower.

The investigation was unable to determine if the pilots had consulted with their navigation chart that pinpoints the tower while flight planning or during the flight.

The TSB concludes its reports with a safety message, saying “in this occurrence, the aircraft collided with an obstacle that was depicted on the applicable VFR Navigation Chart. Pilots are reminded of the importance of consulting available navigational charts when flight planning and in flight so as to avoid colliding with obstacles identified on those charts.”