Regulatory Concerns Raised Over Fatal Plane Crash
Friday, November 14, 2008 at 13:41
A crash in northern Saskatchewan last year is raising questions about the regulatory ability of Transport Canada.
The Calgary Herald has obtained a confidential report into a crash that happened in Sandy Bay on January 7th, 2007.
One man was killed and three others injured when the King Air plane they were in wiped out during an aborted landing attempt.
The report says that big gaps were found with Transport Canada’s role as regulator — and that Transport Canada cancelled an audit program just months before the crash.
The report also says the pilots of the plane committed certain regulatory infractions, as well.
Transwest Air owner Jim Glass agrees mistakes were made, but denies it had anything to do with Transport Canada’s regulations.
He says the biggest mistake that happened was when the lead pilot allowed a more junior officer to take the controls of the Sandy Bay flight.
Glass explains lead pilots usually look after the first flight of the day.
He says, since the crash, that rule has been put into writing.
A spokesman for the Transportation Safety Board says they can’t comment on the report yet, as it isn’t finished.
No one from Transport Canada was immediately available for comment.