http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKdDJ-fRA8w
Above is a link to a youtube video, looks like from a cell phone, but you get the general picture.
Its relevance is: The plane is operated by Innu Mikun, one of the two schedule airlines on the coast, plus Innu Mikun supplies all the air support to the Voisey’s bay mine/mill.
The location of the video is Otter Creek, the float plane base for HV-GB.
The plane had been on floats all summer, and had just been converted over to wheels.
Subsequently, after this very hairy take off from the dock, the plane landed at the Goose Bay air port. On touch down one of the wheel supports broke or came off from the fuselage and the plane skidded to an abrupt holt to the side of the runway.
A report on CBC on the crash only said that an investigation is under way, but no damage was done to the under carriage.
Silly me, I thought that changing from floats to wheels, or visa versa was done at the hangers at the airport, not at the dock. I understood that the floats had wheels and recessed back into the floats, enabling them to land on hard surfaces when needed.
What ever the reason for this, it sure looks reckless and irresponsible.
3 comments:
Once in a while on the coastal planes, whether air lab or innu mikun, a traveller has a moment of quiet prayer for life and limb. Obviously, with good reason. Yikes!
saw the article on cbc news. i think the last bit of good news out of lab i saw was the labrador winter games.
This is funny, the are not flying on amphib floats... Twin otters are STOL planes. This has been done forever in Goose Bay, this was INNU MIKUNS first year doing this and it happened. Air Labrador has done it for years without incident!
Post a Comment