Air Satellite Flight 501

Air Satellite Flight 501 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Baie-Comeau to Rimouski in Quebec that was operated by the regional airline Air Satellite. On 7 December 1998, while taking off in freezing conditions, the aircraft pitched up suddenly and became unstable while the flaps were being retracted. Deciding the aircraft could not safely continue the flight, the pilot maneuvered to return to Baie-Comeau. During the turn, the aircraft rolled rapidly to the left and crashed into the St. Lawrence River. Six of the 8 passengers and the co-pilot were killed in the crash or while awaiting rescue, which came 98 minutes after take-off due to faulty equipment and the failure of the crew to transmit a distress call.

Flight crew

The pilot-in-command, 40-year-old Jean-François Roch, had 1,098 flying hours, including 234 hours on the Britten-Norman BN-2. The co-pilot, 24-year-old Soledade Lauzon, was a 24-year-old flight instructor with 679 flying hours and 68 hours on the Britten-Norman BN-2. Both crew members were certified and qualified for the flight in accordance with existing regulations, and regularly flew the route between Baie-Comeau and Rimouski twice a day, five days a week. The pilot had limited experience in IFR conditions, but his total experience flying in snowy weather was four days-all occurring within the three weeks prior to Flight 501.

Flight

Flight ASJ501 was scheduled to depart Baie-Comeau Airport for Rimouski Aerodrome at 06:15 Eastern Standard Time (11:15 UTC) on 7 December 1998. The scheduled departure was delayed almost five hours due to an area of freezing rain which was causing severe icing conditions in the area. The air temperature was very near the freezing point (−0.2 °C), creating a wet snow with a high water content. Environment Canada reported that more than 1cm of snow fell while the aircraft was outside, and that snow had accumulated on the aircraft's surfaces. While taxiing, the pilot-in-command François Roch concluded that the snow was not adhering to the windshield and therefore the flight surfaces were not contaminated and the aircraft did not need to be de-iced.

Flight 501 received takeoff clearance using Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) from the flight service specialist (FSS) at Mont-Joli Airport at 11:04 EST (16:04 UTC). The aircraft took off at 11:09 EST (16:09 UTC) with eight passengers and two pilots on board. At that time, visibility was approximately 0.5 statute miles with moderate snow showers. Despite not de-icing the aircraft, Roch had started the propeller de-icing unit, the stall warning system, pitot heating, and the windshield heat panel. Shortly after takeoff, the co-pilot, Soledade Lauzon, informed the Mont-Joli FSS that they had taken off from Baie-Comeau. Forty seconds later, Lauzon read back instructions received from the FSS to contact Montreal Area Control Centre (ACC) on 134.65MHz. This was the last transmission received from Flight 501.

Roch reduced engine power to a climb setting and continued on a runway heading at a climb rate of approximately 500 feet per minute and a speed of 100 knots. At 500 feet above sea level (ASL), the aircraft turned right to intercept the Baie-Comeau VOR in accordance with standard departure procedure. After initiating the turn but before entering the cloud layer, Roch retracted the flaps. The flaps should have been retracted before setting the climb setting engine power, according to the take-off checklist. Almost immediately, the nose of the aircraft pitched up suddenly, greatly reducing the aircraft's general stability as the aircraft entered an area of wind shear. The aircraft's speed dropped from 100 knots to 70 knots, indicating a stall. In response, Roch extended the flaps to 25° and lowered the nose of the aircraft. Having determined the aircraft was not safe to continue the flight, he attempted to return to Baie-Comeau and began lining up to land on Runway 28. Shortly after beginning a slightly banked left turn, the left wing tilted toward the St. Lawrence River, and the aircraft pitched downward. Roch attempted to regain control by pulling on the control column and turning the control wheel to right the level of the aircraft. However, Flight 501 was at an insufficient altitude to recover from the stall. The aircraft crashed in the St. Lawrence River at 11:11 EST (16:11 UTC), approximately 1 nm from the end of Runway 10 and 0.5nm from shore.

Four of the passengers were killed instantly when the floor in the middle of the plane buckled upward as the wing collapsed upon impact. At the time of the crash, the water was approximately 1 meter deep with a rising tide. The aircraft had three rows of two seats and a two-seat bench at the rear of the cabin. Roch, Lauzon, and passengers in seats 1A, 1B, 4A and 4B survived the initial impact. Lauzon sustained a serious facial injury and was unconscious after the crash. Roch and passengers from seats 1A and 1B were able to free the co-pilot from her seat and brought her up on top of the wreckage where they awaited assistance. The passengers in 4A and 4B were unable to move and remained seated and secured in the two-seat bench. As the tide rose, the water level came up to their waists. Due to their injuries, the survivors on the top of the cabin were unable to help those passengers out of the wreckage. While Roch and the passenger from seat 1A held onto Lauzon, the passenger from seat 1B laid down on top of the cabin roof and held the head of the passenger in seat 4B out of the water until the cabin was submerged between 12:00 and 12:15. The passenger in seat 4A never regained consciousness after the crash and also drowned. Shortly after the water covered the wreckage, the survivors, all suffering from hypothermia after spending nearly an hour and a half in the freezing water, could no longer hold onto the unconscious Lauzon, and she was carried away by the current at 12:30.