The plane at the centre of a fatal crash north of Smithers last year lacked a gauge that would have warned the pilot of ice building up in the carburetor, the Transporation Safety Board said Monday.
One crew member survived while the pilot and two other crew members were killed when their plane, owned by Lakes District Air Service Ltd., went down on May 4, 2019 near the Babine River about 93 kilometres north of the community.
The crash occurred about three hours into a fire surveillance flight and, at the time, the plane was flying in a low-engine power setting and in atmospheric conditions conducive to carburetor icing," the TSB said in a statement summarizing an investigator's findings.
However, the plane lacked a carburetor air temperature indication system. While they are not required under safety regulations, having one could have bought the pilot enough time to make a safe landing, the TSB said.
The investigator also pointed to two more areas of trouble.
When the engine stalled, the pilot sent out a Mayday and indicated a plan to land at the Silver Hilton Steelhead Lodge airstrip. But it was not on the plane's global positioning system database.
The Babine River was nearby but in freshet and no gravel bars or open shorelines visible.
"In such circumstances, pilot training at Lakes District Air Service Ltd. suggested forced landings should be made into trees, not water," the TSB said.
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