Report complete into mid-air collision that killed two over northern Alberta

By The Canadian Press

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. – The Transportation Safety Board says the pilots of two small planes did not see each other in time to avoid a deadly mid-air collision in northern Alberta last year.

The board says in its investigative report that the pilots were flying in uncontrolled airspace using visual flight rules, as both aircraft were not equipped with collision avoidance systems.

The two Cessnas crashed east of Fort McMurray on June 21, 2015.

Two people in one plane — an instructor and a student with McMurray Aviation — were killed.

The pilot of the second, privately-owned float plane survived.

The board says there’s an inherent risk in flying when pilots rely only on their sight.

The two planes, both white, would have been difficult to spot that day in a white and grey overcast sky, it said.

“The limitations of human vision, restricted visibility from the aircraft cockpit, pilot workload and difficulties in spotting small aircraft at a distance … these limitations have been of concern in previous investigations,” said the report, released Thursday.

It added that there are several economical, on-board alert systems for such planes. But they are not required by regulation.

“If used, these technologies offer the potential to significantly reduce the risk of mid-air collisions,” said the report.

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