The Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed on Thursday it will deploy investigators to the site of Air Tindi’s Twin Otter crash near the Diavik diamond mine.
The aircraft, on skis, came down on Wednesday in blowing snow and strong winds. All 10 people on board survived but two were said to have been badly hurt.
After spending a night on the tundra, the two crew and eight passengers were airlifted to safety by rescue helicopters on Thursday.
On Thursday afternoon, the safety board – known as the TSB – issued a formal notice of deployment to the site, describing what had happened as a “collision with terrain.”
TSB investigations are designed to examine how safety can be improved and similar accidents avoided in future. The board makes a point of stating that its investigations do not assign blame or attempt to prove civil or criminal liability.
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Earlier on Thursday, Air Tindi president Chris Reynolds said the accident site and damaged aircraft had been handed over to the TSB.
The aircraft “is under the complete control of the TSB,” he said. “They control the scene, they dictate who gets access to it.”
The TSB has issued two significant investigation reports regarding Air Tindi incidents in recent years. One of the airline’s aircraft ran out of fuel in mid-air in 2021, while two pilots were killed in a crash outside Whatì in 2019.
Full investigation reports from the TSB generally take a year or more, though interim updates are often provided when the circumstances that led to incidents become clearer.
In this case, Air Tindi has so far declined to suggest any possible causes for Wednesday’s accident.
