 The wreckage of Flight 6560 at the crash site | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 20 August 2011 |
| Summary | Pilot error combined with inaccurate compass readings, leading to controlled flight into terrain |
| Site | 1 NM (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) east of Resolute Bay Airport, Resolute, Nunavut, Canada 74°42′57.3″N 094°55′04.0″W / 74.715917°N 94.917778°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-210C |
| Operator | First Air |
| IATA flight No. | 7F 6560 |
| ICAO flight No. | FAB6560 |
| Call sign | FIRST AIR 6560 |
| Registration | C-GNWN |
| Flight origin | Yellowknife Airport, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada |
| Destination | Resolute Bay Airport, Resolute, Nunavut, Canada |
| Occupants | 15 |
| Passengers | 11 |
| Crew | 4 |
| Fatalities | 12 |
| Injuries | 3 |
| Survivors | 3 |
First Air Flight 6560 was a domestic charter flight that crashed on landing at Resolute, Nunavut, Canada, on 20 August 2011. Of the 15 people on board, 12 were killed and the remaining three were severely injured. The Boeing 737-200 of First Air was operating a service from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, when it struck a hill obscured by clouds near Resolute Bay Airport.[1][2][3]
The subsequent investigation found that a late initiation of the descent, the inadvertent partial disengagement of the autopilot during final approach, a drift in the aircraft compass system and poor communication between the flight crew resulted in the aircraft drifting significantly off course from the final approach path, descending into the ground moments after the crew initiated a go-around.[4]
- ^ Hradecky, Simon (20 August 2011). "Crash: First Air B732 near Resolute Bay on Aug 20th 2011, impacted terrain". The Aviation Herald. Archived from the original on 8 June 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ^ "12 killed in Boeing 737 crash near Resolute Bay". Nunatsiaq News. 20 August 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ White, Patrick; Hannay, Chris (20 August 2011). "Nunavut town reeling after plane crash kills 12". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2019.
- ^ Aviation Investigation Report A11H0002: Controlled flight into terrain, Bradley Air Services Limited (First Air), Boeing 737-210C, C-GNWN, Resolute Bay, Nunavut, 20 August 2011 (PDF) (Report). Transportation Safety Board of Canada. 5 March 2014. A11H0002. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2019.