A pilotless plane came to rest in the backyard of a home under construction in Saamis Heights in this May 2022 file photo. The Transportation Safety Board completed its investigation rather quickly, ruling that no further review was required.--News Photo Collin Gallant
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
The crash of a pilotless plane into the deck of a Medicine Hat home last spring was the result of a series of mishaps while the aircraft was being maintained, the Transportation Safety Board ruled in a report.
On May 2, 2022 the light aircraft was seen circling over the county Hamlet of Desert Blume and the Seven Persons Creek in south Medicine Hat before it came down to crash into the support posts of a deck overlooking the coulee.
No one was injured, but it led to investigators from the Transportation Safety Board opening a file – also wild speculation in the city about the mysterious nature of the flight.
The TSB told the News this week that the investigation was closed three days after the incident. Since the incident caused relatively little damage and relatively little could be gained from further investigation, a more substantial review was ruled unnecessary.
A copy of the summary forwarded to the News states the private plane, a Bellanca 7GCBA Citabria, had been stored at the Schlenker airstrip about six kilometres south of Medicine Hat for about one year. On the date, the unnamed owner arrived to start it up and perform annual maintenance.
The battery was found to be dead however, and the owner exited the cockpit to attach a charged battery with jumper cables. The owner then turned the propeller to prime the motor with oil when the engine started.
At that point, the report states, the plane began to “overtake the set park brake,” and when the owner reached in to adjust the fuel mixture, the throttle was knocked in the full open position.
At that point the aircraft accelerated in a right turn and the owner, who could no longer keep up, had to step away.
It gained liftoff and flew over homes in the Cypress County Hamlet of Desert Blume and flew for between 20 to 30 minutes before running out of fuel and gliding down then crashing into a fence and back deck of an unoccupied home.
Medicine Hat Fire Service crews responded to the early evening crash and no fire or substantial damage was recorded.
