Melanie Sonnenberg disputes report on plane crash that killed husband, 1 other
Melanie Sonnenberg, wife of pilot Klaus Sonnenberg, who was killed in a place crash on Grand Manan Island in 2014, disputes the findings of the Transportation Safety Board report.
In a statement released to CBC News, Sonnenberg, who is president of Atlantic Charters, the company that operated the downed plane, said the report is a failure.
"The company believes the Transportation Safety Board investigation and the ensuing report have failed the affected families, public, and aviation industry. We will continue to challenge this report until the actual incident and public safety are served," Sonnenberg said in the statement.
Sonnenberg declined to offer further comment and said she may have more to say at a later date.
The Transportation Safety Board report on the Grand Manan air ambulance crash of Aug. 16, 2014 found the pilot lost visual references in the fog and the lack of a second headset on the aircraft made it difficult for the pilot and first officer to communicate during the emergency.
The TSB report listed a number of contributing factors:
- The captain commenced the flight with only a single headset on board, thereby preventing a shared situational awareness among the crew.
- It is likely that the weather at the time of both approaches was such that the captain could not see the required visual references to ensure a safe landing.
- The first officer was focused on locating the runway and was unaware of the captain's actions during the descent.
- For undetermined reasons, the captain initiated a steep descent 0.56 nautical mile from the threshold, which went uncorrected until a point from which it was too late to recover.
- The aircraft contacted a road 0.25 nautical mile short of the runway and struck terrain.
- The paramedic was not wearing a seatbelt and was not restrained during the impact sequence.
Nurse, first officer injured
The crash killed pilot Klaus Sonnenberg and paramedic William "Billy" Mallock, and seriously injured a nurse and the first officer.
The Piper Navajo aircraft, operated by Atlantic Charters, a Grand Manan company, was attempting to land in fog when it crashed in a field near the runway at the island's airport.
Mark Clitsome, director of investigations for the Transportation Safety Board, told CBC the aircraft had made a previous approach to the runway before the crash.
"The weather was not good, there was localized fog in the area," said Clitsome. "It's likely the crew of this aircraft did not see, did not have the required visual references for a safe landing."
The report also said the aircraft touched down on a road about 450 metres short of the runway, becoming airborne again before crashing.
Investigators also noted William Mallock was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
