OTTAWA – The “From the Investigator” (FTI) initial flight safety report for the November 17, 2010, crash of CF-18 aircraft number CF188789 near Cold Lake, Alberta, is available on the Air Force Directorate of Flight Safety website.

The Flight Safety investigation is still ongoing, but the FTI is the team’s initial report containing the facts of the accident as they are known at this time. Conclusions, cause factors and recommendations are not contained in the FTI report. A final Flight Safety Investigation Report (FSIR) will be published on the same website, normally about one year after the accident.

This initial report indicates that the pilot was conducting a night training mission using Night Vision Goggles and became disoriented during an instrument approach when his landing light reflected off the falling snow. The reflected light also washed out the instrument indications in his Head Up Display. The pilot ejected safely without injury, and was recovered by a Search and Rescue crew. The aircraft crashed and was destroyed on impact.

The Flight Safety investigation team continues to focus on human factors associated with the accident, including disorientation, organizational pressures, and training practices. 1 Canadian Air Division has already put in place measures to ensure that pilots have more night flying experience before undergoing Night Vision Goggle training.

The Canadian Forces Flight Safety system is one of the most respected in the world. Its goal is not to assign blame, but rather to determine the causes of accidents and to make recommendations that will help prevent accidents in the future.

The FTI can be viewed at the DFS web site as follows: http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/dfs-dsv/nr-sp/index-eng.asp?id=11977

Source and photo: Canadian Forces