Plane veered off northern Manitoba runway because of oil leak, flight crew decision, investigators say

An oil leak and the decision by flight crew to land with both engines running contributed to a plane veering off a runway after landing at a northern airstripa year ago, the Transportation Safety Board says.

A 19-seat Perimeter Airlinesflight from God's River to Thompson landed and thencareened off the runway on Nov. 2, 2017, after losing pressure during the 300-kilometre trip, a TSBreportsays.

No passengers were on the 19-seatFairchild Metro III.

The two crew members consulted air traffic control after noticing a low oil pressure alert associated with the left engine, investigators say.

The crew considered landing without nose-wheel steering andjust one of two engines firing, but decided to keep them both running due to perceived risks.

That decision was at odds with protocol, investigators said.

"The decision to continue the flight with both engines running was not consistent with the quick reference handbook procedures for low oil pressure indications," the TSBreport says. The low oil pressure alert was probably the result of a "steady oil leak" in the left engine.

The two crew members suffered minor injuries and the plane was "substantially damaged."

Investigators say the plane also was fitted with a flight management system capable of recording engine information, but it wasn't enabled. The plane also had a cockpit voice recorder but didn't have flight data recorded; that equipment isn't legally required.

Those factors meanthere are noin-flight voice, video or data recordings, which theTSBsays hinders investigations.

In April 2018, the TSB recommended the installation of these recording systems by commercial and private operators not currently required to have that technology on board.

The TSBasked Transport Canada to review the emergency protocol manual entry on low engine oil protocol for the Fairchild Metro III.

Perimeter Aviation has since installed memory cards to store engine data on planes equipped with an integrated flight management system, as well as implementing crew training on resource management, the TSBsaid.