APTN National News
The Air Tindi pilot who died in a 2011 plane crash near Yellowknife, that also claimed the life of a passenger, was stoned on marijuana the Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday.
The Cessna 208B Caravan went down Oct. 3 near Lutsel K’e, Northwest Territories. Two other passengers survived but were seriously injured.
“Toxicology testing revealed that concentrations of cannabinoids found in the pilot’s bloodstream were sufficient to have impaired pilot performance and decision-making during the flight,” said TSB in a press release.
Investigators also determined the pilot was flying too low which “prevented the pilot from seeing and avoiding terrain.”
Weather was marginal and the aircraft did not have a terrain awareness and warning system or terrain-warning features on its GPS.
The pilot was flying using visual flight rules, which means the pilot must maintain constant visual reference to the ground.
He could have flown using instrument flight rules, which pilots fly using cockpit instruments and doing so would have provided a margin of safety, according to the report.
Air Tindi has since taken measures to improve safety according to TSB, including installing cockpit imaging and flight data monitoring devices in its Cessna 208B fleet.
The company also does random drug and alcohol tests for employees in “safety-sensitive positions.”
