Plane had fuel to turn around

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Manitoba Transportation officials have reported that the twin engine plane which crashed in eastern Manitoba on Dec. 9 near the Little Grand Rapids First Nation could have flown back to Winnipeg after encountering poor weather conditions at the remote airfield.

Instead, the plane carrying 17 people, crashed one km from the small, gravel airstrip. Four people were killed in the crash.

Seven of the passengers were from Manitoba's Southeast Tribal Council and were on their way to a neighboring First Nation to prepare the community's Christmas party. The remainder of the passengers either lived in or had business in the Little Grand Rapids area. The dead includes the 62-year-old pilot, a three-year-old boy, his 20-year-old mother and a 51-year-old maintenance worker for the Southeast Tribal Council.

Government officials said the pilot of the Embraer P110, owned by Sowind Air Ltd., was told the weather conditions at the airstrip were poor as he approached the runway, about 300 km northeast of Winnipeg.

A smaller plane, owned by the same company, had successfully landed at the airstrip moments before, despite foggy conditions.

Although the Little Grand Rapids airport does not have a manned control tower, workers regularly speak to incoming planes on the radio and advise them about the weather, wind and visibility.

Reports indicate the plane attempted to land, but aborted and was attempting a second approach when it crashed into dense bush.

Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board are going through the wreckage of the downed plane and speaking to witnesses and survivors to re-construct the last minutes of flight.

The investigation could take several weeks to complete.