In wake of deadly crash, TSB wants mandatory plane warning systems

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is asking Ottawa to make a warning system mandatory for sightseeing planes likethe one that crashed near Tadoussac, Que.,almost exactly two years ago, killing all six people on board.

The TSB released its investigation report into the 2015 crash at a news conference Thursday, revealing the plane took a dive as the pilot performed a low-altitude manoeuvre to give his passengersa better view of the wildlife below.

A stall warning system alerts pilots when a plane is at a dangerous angle, and would "give pilots and passengers a last [defence] against this type of loss of control," said TSB Chair Kathy Fox at the conference.

There weresix peopleon board the single-engine plane that crashed, pilot Romain Desrosiers, French touristEmilieDelaitre, 28, and a British family of four.

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FoxsaidTransport Canada had recommended theinstallation of a stall warning system in similar planes in 2013, but few companies heeded that advice.

"They are not mandatory and few companies have installed them voluntarily," Fox said.

"It's time for this to change."

The board is also recommending that sightseeing planes be equipped with flight recorders so companies can monitor flying practices.

Manoeuvre caused plane to spin

PierreGavillet, an air branchinvestigator who was at the news conference with Fox, said there were "no particular limits on tourist flights."

He added that the kind of low-altitude manoeuvreDesrosiershad performed was not necessary during sightseeing flights, thoughthey might be for other bush-flying purposes the plane was designed for.

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Desrosiers took a sharp turn15 minutes into the short trip his third flight of the day ashe was approaching alanding. That caused the lower wing to be almost vertical, sending the pontoon planeinto a spin.

By the time Desrosiersstopped the aircraft from spinning, it was too late. The plane was too close to a hill and it crashed nose down, in such a vertical position that it left the trees around the plane's cartilageintact.

"There was a post-impact fire ... in the cabin area," Gavilletsaid.

The deHavillandDHC-2Beaver planebelonged to AirSaguenay, which routinely flies tourists as well as people heading to fishing and mining camps.

After the crash, the company had said the weather conditions for flying were optimal and that the plane, built in 1956, was equipped with a brand new engine.

Desrosierswas an experienced pilot with 6,000 hours of flying under his belt, according to the company.

13 similar crashes in last 2 decades

"The sun was shining, the skies were clear and the winds were light," Fox said."In short, it was a perfect day for a 20-minute sightseeing flight."

But Fox and Gavillet said there have been 13 similar crashes since 1998, causing a total of 37 deaths, and that the investigation found the pilot had been performing similar flight moves often.

"We found that this is a recurringtheme in sightseeing flights that have occurred in the past, and that this is why we're highlighting it today,is that there is a need to put some limits on the operation ofsightseeing flights," Gavillet said.

Stall warning systems can cost about $12,000 for the small Beaver planes, said Fox, which "is not a lot when we think about the fact it can save a life," she added.

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