A plane crash during an airshow in Abbotsford last summer occurred after the wings hit the runway, a report into the incident says.
The vintage biplane was being used to provide rides at the Abbotsford International Airport at the time. It was on loan from a U.S. museum, officials told CTV News at the time.
More than seven months after the crash, the Transportation Safety Board has released its report outlining what happened.
The 1930s-era plane was carrying four passengers and one pilot when it took off at about 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 11, 2018.
The de Havilland DH.89A MKIV Dragon Rapide biplane began to take off, but shortly after becoming airborne, the aircraft "encountered strong, gusting crosswinds," the TSB said.
The plane climbed about 10 metres above ground before descending suddenly.
Its right wings struck the runway and the plane rotated, coming to rest on its nose at the edge of the runway. A passenger and the pilot were severely injured in the crash and were airlifted to hospital. Three others received minor injuries and were taken to hospital by ambulance to be checked out.
"Some of these museum aircraft offer rides to people," airshow president Jim Reith said in August. "There are a lot of airshow attendants who are interested to take rides in vintage aircraft, so it was part of that program, one of several aircraft that were doing so."
The report said the Dragon Rapide is known to be difficult to handle during crosswind takeoffs. It said Transport Canada had granted a validation certificate allowing the plane to be flown to and from the airshow, but that the certificate did not allow the carrying of passengers for hire or as a prize.
In addition, the Historic Flight Foundation did not have an accurate passenger manifest on board, which can make the identification of passengers difficult in event of an emergency.
The board investigated the crash for the purposes of improving safety measures in future flights. It is not up to the board to assign fault or determine liability.
