The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has recommended that the Government of Canada should make it mandatory for all the commercial and private business jet operators to install lightweight flight recording systems.

TSB is an independent investigative agency. It has expressed its concern over Transport Canada’s reactive approach to errors made by the country’s private business aircraft operators.

Transport Canada’s approach was highlighted in an investigative report released by TSB on the fatal loss of control and crash landing of a Cessna Citation 500 aircraft near Kelowna, British Columbia, in October 2016.

“In its investigation, TSB also found that the pilot did not have any recent experience flying at night as required by Transport Canada for night time passenger flights.”

At the time of the accident, the Cessna Citation 500 took off from Kelowna Airport in British Columbia during night time to Calgary/Springbank Airport in Alberta, Canada. The aircraft was privately operated by Norjet.

Shorty after the departure, the aircraft departed controlled flight and took a steep descending turn to the right until it struck the ground. There were three passengers on-board along with the pilot.

The pilot did not make any emergency calls, leaving all passengers fatally injured and destroying the aircraft.

TSB was unable to establish the cause of the accident as there was no flight recording system on-board the plane.

According to TSB, the high workload from flying the aircraft alone may have led the pilot to experience spatial disorientation and depart from controlled flight.

In its investigation, TSB also found that the pilot did not have any recent experience flying at night as required by Transport Canada for night time passenger flights.

During the investigation, TSB did not find any record of inspection carried out on the aircraft by Transport Canada.