On 23 January, just before 09:00 local time, a Northwestern Air Lease Ltd BAe Jetstream J32 (registration C-FNAA) crashed shortly after take-off from Fort Smith Airport, Northwest Territories, Canada. The flight was carrying Rio Tinto workers heading for the Diavik Diamond Mine. Two crew members and four passengers sustained fatal injuries. Only one remaining occupant survived.
Rescue services rushed towards the crash site. Six occupants didn’t survive the crash, one survivor has been hospitalised in critical condition. An investigation into the crash has been launched by the Transport Safety Board and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
“I would like to express our deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of those affected by this tragedy.”
“As a company, we are devastated by this news and offer our full support to our people and community who are grieving today.”
“We are working closely with the authorities and will assist in any way we can with their efforts to find out exactly what happened,” said Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm.
DEVELOPING: Northwestern Air Lease BAe Jetstream J32 crashed soon after take-off from Fort Smith Airport (CYSM), NWT with eleven people on board. It is understood that ten of them did not survive. The sole survivor is in critical condition. The flight was carrying Rio Tinto… pic.twitter.com/1aiCm17TJz
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) January 24, 2024
