FedEx Cessna plane crashes in downtown Winnipeg
Thu Oct 6, 2005 10:21 AM EDT

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - A Cessna 208 carrying cargo for FedEx Corp. crashed near a major downtown intersection in Winnipeg early on Thursday, killing its pilot, the only person on board, but sparing injury on the ground.

The plane crashed on railway tracks in the western Canadian city just before 6 a.m. (1100 GMT), leaving only a "twisted heap" of wreckage behind, local radio CJOB said. The crash occurred close to an intersection of several major streets that is known locally as "Confusion Corner."

The plane, which was on its way to Thunder Bay, Ontario from Winnipeg, was owned, operated and maintained by FedEx subcontractor Morningstar Air Express Inc., FedEx Canada spokeswoman Karen Cooper told the radio station.

"We're working with local Winnipeg authorities, the national Transportation Safety Board of Canada to determine what has happened," she said.

Police and federal aviation inspectors were on the scene.

Winnipeg was hit by an unusually early and heavy snowfall on Wednesday.

 

...My prayers are for the pilot's family...my wish is the company does right for them.

Sincerely,
LA

 

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2...251022-cp.html

 

photo of crash scene http://www.airliners.net/open.file/936279/M/

 

WHICH “company” are you referring to?

He was flying for a ****ant Canadian charter company and likely has the bare minimum benefits for the widow and orphans. Pity

 

Captain Johnson,

I don't believe that you should be so quick to judge Morningstar as a ****ant company. The pay is not quite as good on their 27's as at Fedex, but is certainly better than most in both the US and Canada. Also, if you are going to post remarks about a fatal accident, perhaps you should check if the pilot was male or female. I am not trying to start a fight here, but there are some people that are still hurting because of this accident, and now is certainly not the time to start throwing mud about anyone, be it a company or specific person. Have a good day.

Mark Baragar

 

WELL. . kiss my Tochus!

Pardone moi! I guess my snobbery was showing. Having retired from 28 years as a Naval Aviator (7200 hrs) and 27 years as one of the 1st FedEx pilots 22,000+ hrs), I think I have the credentials to ‘judge’ BUT the whacked out US Publik Skool system (guess if you are a Hoser, you have a built-in Socialist excuse) has done its best to make making ‘judgements’ a heinous crime against society. .mea culpa!

There have been more Caravan crashes than I care to recall, since FedEx started contracting the flying out. Leading those of us who are not afraid (or qualified) to be judgemental to reach the conclusion that all is not right in the community.

P-ss-poor maintenance; over-worked (fatigued) pilots; pi--ant companies, squeezing profit; and just plain pilot error are the usual causes. My best guess -under the current circumstances is the craft should have been de-iced, but wasn’t -or the pilot took off into WX that was beyond his/her capability to deal with. I am sorry -stuff happpens

 

In the Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN newspaper) there was a picture of another Caravan crash in TX. The plane ran into a house and was upside down. The pilot broke his leg but was released from the hospital. I couldn't find anything on the internet about it. The paper reported that it was engine failure.

The caravan flies very poorly in icing conditions (it has wing boots but there's still a lot of non-anti-ice surface). Single engine IFR, single-pilot, and a tired pilot make for a great flying combination.

 

http://www.ntsb.gov/recs/letters/2004/A04_64_67.pdf

-LA

 

I'm an airline pilot and attorney with a major aviation law firm and we happen to be working on a significant number of Caravan cases . . .all icing related. Be careful out there!