There was a remarkably lucky escape for the 22 passengers and 3 crew of an ATR42-320 aircraft belonging to West Wind Aviation crashed on 13th December just after take-off around 1 km from Fond-du-Lac Airport, Saskatchewan, Canada.
All 22 passengers and 3 crew members on board the ATR 42-320 registration C-GWEA were rescued after the aircraft came down at approximately 18.15 local Canadian time yesterday evening. The police advised that first responders got to the scene as quickly as possible and worked rapidly to remove the 22 passengers which included an infant and the 3 crew from the aircraft wreckage.
Many people were injured in the crash and transferred to hospital and whilst the full extent of their injuries are not immediately clear, none are thought to be life-threatening conditions.
“We train for incidents like this. First and foremost is the well-being of the passengers and crew. With all the hectic activity in this kind of incident, it’s really important to make sure that they’re front and centre and that they’re the focus.” Rick Philipenko, vice-president and chief financial officer of the Saskatoon-based West Wind Aviation said.
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| Inside the ATR |
The company initially posted the following message on its Facebook page, but there has been no official statement or update from the airline since last night.
West Wind Aviation has been in operation since 1983 and flies from bases in Saskatoon, La Ronge and Stony Rapids, as well as in northern Saskatchewan. In 2016 it bought out Transwest Air which added a number of aircraft to its fleet which included 5 ATR42's Twin Otters and Beech 1900C and D's. On its website, it proudly proclaims “Our safety record is exemplary and our customer service exceptional,” the company states on its website. “Fly with West Wind and we take care, for you.”
There has been no immediate reaction from the TSB who are at the scene investigating as to the cause of the accident.
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