Strong crosswinds, lack of info led plane to skid off runway in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut

A medevac plane thatoverran the runway in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut in 2021 was faced withstrong crosswinds and a lack of precise data on the aircraft's "performance limitations," according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

The plane, operated by Keewatin Air LP, was on a medical evacuation flight from Winnipeg to Sanikiluaq with two crew and two medical staff on board.

A report released by the TSB Thursday said the Beechcraft King Air B-200 started to drift to the left and its tires slipped when it attempted to land in a crosswind.

"Despite the pilot-in-command's attempt to execute a go-around, the aircraft exited the runway surface shortly after," the report said.

All four passengers exited the plane safely, one with minor injuries.

The aircraft itself was "substantially damaged," the report said.

The TSB also said there were two findings of "risk" in their investigation into the incident.

First, that if air operators have little information about runway conditions and how their aircraft will perform in them, there's a risk that flights could land in conditions beyond their capabilities.

The winds that day were gusting to 46 knots, resulting in a crosswind. When the plane went to land, "no new information on runway surface conditions was available," the report said.

Second, the TSB said if an aircraft starts to drift after landing and a go-around is initiated while the plane is in "a low energy state," there's a risk that it will lose control.

"The flight crew did not see any snowdrifts on the runway and continued the approach, certain that they could conduct a go-around if they encountered difficulty controlling the aircraft as a result of the crosswind," the reportsaid.