Air taxis cited for `key' safety concerns

Twenty-one people have been killed in previous Canadian crashes of the same type of small commuter plane that nosedived into the St. Lawrence River near Baie-Comeau, Que. on Monday, killing seven more people.

The last three crashes of the twin-engine Britten-Norman Islander, including Monday's, all occurred shortly after take-off.

Transportation Safety Board records also show the same plane that crashed Monday had been involved since 1996 in four minor accidents such as running off a runway. None caused injuries.

As well, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada earlier this year singled out the air-taxi industry -- which includes the carrier involved in the St. Lawrence River crash -- for "key" safety concerns.

"That whole sector of aviation has been a concern to us," David Austin, a safety board spokesman, said yesterday. "The accident rate is 20 times higher than for commercial carriers."

In 1997, air taxi and small charter carriers were involved in 117 accidents, according to safety board figures. That equates into an accident rate of 11.8 accidents for every 100,000 hours flown.

By comparison, larger commuter airlines had 16 accidents last year for a rate of 4.8 per 100,000 hours. Major Canadian carriers, such as Air Canada and Canadian, had seven accidents for a rate of 0.6.

A 1998 safety board document calls into question the adequacy of management at the air taxi companies.

"Carriers that press on in poor visibility (while trying to maintain visual reference with the ground) expose their passengers to an unnecessary risk of being involved in a 'controlled flight into terrain' accident," says the document. "Industry-wide efforts are required to tighten the management of these operations and to ensure that companies do not seek a competitive edge cutting the margins of safety."

Art LaFlamme, Transport Canada's director general of civil aviation, said small planes may be more prone to accidents because they operate in more hazardous circumstances than large commercial carriers. He said safety standards are stricter on large carriers because they carry more passengers.

"We recognize that there is a problem there, however, and we are taking measures to address it," said Art LaFlamme, director general of civil aviation for Transport Canada.

After talks with Transport Canada, Air Satellite, the air taxi company involved in Monday's crash, agreed to halt operations temporarily.

The Pointe-Lebel, Que. carrier underwent a department audit in September and "basically, the company was meeting all the standards," Yves Gosselin, a Transport Canada spokesman, said Tuesday.

Small carriers are inspected a minimum of once a year and companies undergo a comprehensive audit every three years.

The 12-year-old plane passed an annual Transport Canada inspection in August, Gosselin said. It was registered for use by Air Satellite on Jan. 4, 1989, after being imported into Canada in 1988.

Although there are currently only 26 Britten-Norman Islanders operated by 23 Canadian air taxi carriers, the plane has been involved in seven fatal crashes over the last 20 years in Canada.

They include:

- Dec. 9, 1993, a BN Islander commuter aircraft crashed near Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories, killing all seven people on board. Like the plane that crashed Monday, it had just taken off. Crash investigators determined one of the plane's crucial engine magneto assemblies was dangerously misaligned and caused the plane to lose power.

- Sept. 2, 1998, a BN Islander crashed on take-off at Hopedale, Nfld., killing one person and seriously injuring two others.

- Jan. 12, 1987, one of the planes crashed into Lake Ontario while approaching Toronto Island Airport. The pilot died and his passenger was seriously injured. Investigators found the plane had simply run out of fuel.

- March 22, 1986, a BN Islander hauling cargo in a remote section of British Columbia flew into a glacier, killing one person.

- Sept. 2, 1983, a commuter BN Islander with seven people aboard disappeared without a trace while flying between Campbell River and Smithers, B.C.

- Sept. 18, 1979, another one of the planes on a commuter run through dense fog flew into a mountain in Beaver Cove, B.C., killing four and seriously injuring five.

As well, five Quebecers were among 10 people killed in August 1989, when a BN Islander slammed into a mountain on New Zealand's South Island.