Beaver floatplane ran dry, landed on highway in 2024

A Transportation Safety Board investigation into the emergency landing of a floatplane on a Dehcho Region highway almost one year ago found Simpson Air’s iconic Canadian bush aircraft simply ran out of fuel.

There were no malfunctions with the plane’s engine, all fuel tanks had been completely emptied, and the fuel itself showed no signs of contamination, read the report issued Tuesday.

As a result:

• Simpson Air has since encouraged pilots to always make sure their planes are sufficiently fueled.
• The company has also made it mandatory for their planes to have at least forty-five minutes worth of reserve fuel on board.
• Fuel meters have been added to the trucks at the Fort Simpson Water Aerodrome.
• Additional fuel checks have been added to the Beaver aircraft.
• Satellite trackers with two-way texting capabilities have been added to all company aircraft.

The flight occurred on August 29^th, where a pilot registered to Simpson Air was making a pickup of passengers and equipment at Rabbitkettle Lake. The weather conditions on that day were safe, and the pilot had made the flight several times in the past.

The TSB stated the incident was a result of several small factors related to fuel that together created an emergency situation. The pilot reported that this aircraft had a habit of misreading how much fuel was in the tanks, and often displaying a lower volume. The experienced pilot was able to safely account for this variable on a regular basis.

Another factor to the incident was the fuel truck that was used to fill the plane. The pilot fueled up that morning at a dock on the Mackenzie River. The pump on the fuel truck was electric, and did not have a meter to measure how much how much fuel had been poured into the tank of the plane.

This particular plane, a De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited Beaver floatplane, was equipped with three primary fuel tanks on the underside of the main body, while two reserve tanks are located in the wings.

Due to how the primary tanks are constructed and positioned, the rear tank has a longer neck that leads to the basin, which means that the pilot must top off the Rear tank multiple times in order to make sure it is full.

During fueling, the water on the Mackenzie River was lower than normal, and a wind of about 10 knots was blowing, which together caused the aircraft to lean backwards by about 45 degrees. This caused the rear tank to appear to be full due to its longer neck.

The flight from the Fort Simpson Water Aerodrome to Rabbitkettle Lake went as expected. Most of the front fuel tank was used, and the pilot used the fuel in the right wingtip tank. Upon arrival, two passengers and around 550 pounds of equipment were loaded onto the plane. While there was a remote fuel cache at the location, the pilot felt that it was unnecessary.

The flight path requires making a climb over hills between the two locations, and with the extra weight, more fuel was consumed. This was a normal and expected occurrence for the pilot. On the way back, as fuel from the different tanks was consumed, the pilot found that the tanks were emptying slightly earlier than they should have.

At around 12:40, the fuel gauge on the plane read as empty, and the pilot had no other option that to consider that it was reading accurately. Having since passed any other viable option, the pilot positioned the plane over the Mackenzie Highway, and was able to successfully perform a forced landing.

Nobody aboard the plane was injured, and the plane itself only suffered from minor scratching on the underside of the floats.

The pilot made a ‘Mayday’ call before the landing, and another Simpson Air aircraft was able to locate them. Emergency personnel from Fort Simpson were on the scene around twenty minutes later.

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Despite ceasing production in 1967, many Beaver aircraft are still in service today.