Diamond Workers' Plane Crash Blamed on Instrument Failure and Pilot Error

(IDEX Online) - The two-man crew of plane that crashed collecting workers for the Ekati diamond mine, in Canada, died because of instrument failure compounded by pilot error, says a report.

Pilots Will Hayworth and Zach McKillop came down in their eight-seat Air Tindi King Air 200 in January 2019.

"The accident was not survivable," says a newly-released report into the accident by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

The plane crashed at about 700km/hour near Wha Ti, a small community northwest of Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where it was scheduled to to pick up workers for the Ekati diamond mine.

The report suggests the crew struggled to control the aircraft after the altitude meters failed, shutting down the autopilot in thick cloud.

Generic pic of a King Air 200