Aviation

Plane crashes in Saskatchewan with 25 people on board, no fatalities

FOND DU LAC, Sask. – RCMP say a plane with 25 people on board has crashed in northern Saskatchewan.Police say the plane crashed shortly after taking off around 6:15 p.m. Wednesday at the Fond du Lac airport. Mounties said the aircraft went down about one kilometre from the airstrip.

Emergency first responders helped the 22 passengers and three crew members. One of the passengers is an infant. “With that many people on a plane, there are injuries,” Staff Sgt. Rob Embree said at RCMP headquarters in Regina. “Right now, that’s what we’re focusing on so basically it’s a rescue effort happening at this time.” There were no reports of fatalities.

Rick Philipenko, a spokesman for Saskatoon-based West Wind Aviation, confirmed it was one of the company’s planes that crashed, a two-engine ATR 42 turbo prop. The plane was en route to Stony Rapids on a regularly scheduled flight when it crashed. “The primary concern for us right now is making sure that the passengers and crew are looked after,” he said. A picture of the crash site posted on social media shows the damaged aircraft partly on its side in the trees with a wing jutting up in the air at a 45-degree angle as people search the plane.

The Transportation Safety Board said a team of investigators will arrive in Fond du Lac Thursday. Fond du Lac is a remote mainly Dene community located on the east side of Lake Athabasca

Aviation

Boeing, Antonov to Collaborate on Defense Projects

– MOU represents Boeing’s commitment to work with Ukrainian industry

– Includes exploring opportunities for collaborating on in-country support of Unmanned Aerial Systems

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed today by Boeing and Antonov Company to investigate potential collaboration on defense-related projects.

“We’re happy to keep collaborating with the Antonov Company to help Ukraine’s economic development and expansion,” stated Ted Colbert, CEO and president of Boeing Defence, Space, & Security.

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“This agreement demonstrates our ongoing efforts to find more opportunities to work with Ukrainian industry, which was underscored by our signing of the Ukrainian Defence Industry Compact earlier this year.”

The areas of potential collaboration identified in the agreement consist of training, logistical support and overhaul services for tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems utilized by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which includes the ScanEagle. In addition, the companies will also explore opportunities for Antonov to provide engineering support to Boeing.

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“A strong, innovative, and efficient defense industry is key to sustainable economic development and national security, and we are extremely excited to collaborate with Boeing,” said Ievhen Gavrylov, CEO of Antonov Company.

This agreement brings a whole new level of opportunity to implement the latest and most effective solutions – in addition to the possibility of future projects with Boeing in the aerospace and defense industry.”