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First Air Flight 6560 was a charter flight which crashed near Resolute, Nunavut Canada, on 20 August 2011. 12 of the 15 people on board were killed. The aircraft involved, a First Air passenger-cargo convertible (combi) Boeing 737-200, was flying within Canada, from Yellowknife Airport, Northwest Territories, to Resolute Bay Airport, Nunavut. It crashed approximately 2 km (1.2 mi) east of the Resolute Bay Airport runway.

The three survivors, a 48-year-old man, 23-year-old woman and 7-year-old girl, were medivaced to Iqaluit. The last radio call was received at 12:40 pm CDT (17:40 UTC), at which time the aircraft was, according to First Air, about 8 km (5.0 mi) from Resolute Bay Airport, and the aircraft crashed some 10 minutes later.

There are conflicting reports about the time of the accident. According to First Air and Transport Canada's Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System the crash occurred at 12:40 pm CDT (17:40 UTC). However, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada the crash happened an hour earlier at 11:42 am CDT (16:42 UTC) and 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) east of the airport.

Aircraft

The aircraft involved was a Boeing 737-200 registration C-GNWN. Ship 414 (serial number 21067) first flew on 2 May 1975 and was delivered to Wien Air Alaska on 14 May 1975.

Accident

The aircraft was operating a charter flight from Yellowknife Airport, Northwest Territories, Canada to Resolute Bay Airport, Nunavut. It was carrying four crew and eleven passengers. The aircraft crashed on approach to Resolute Bay, killing twelve people. The weather at the time was reported to be poor. The Canadian Forces were conducting Operation Nanook 2011 nearby, which was about to simulate an air disaster in the Resolute Bay area and Royal Canadian Air Force firefighters were the first to respond and reach the crash site. The operation was suspended and those taking part assisted in the rescue efforts. One surviving passenger was admitted to the Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit, Nunavut for one day while awaiting medivac transfer to Ottawa. The other two surviving passengers were moved from Iqaluit to the Ottawa Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario.

Investigation

The crash is being investigated by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. On 5 January 2012 a preliminary report was issued stating that the TSB is currently listing the accident as a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT). The report states that two seconds prior to impact the crew began a go-around. At that time the crew had completed the landing checklist, the flaps were at 40, the aircraft was travelling at 157 kn (291 km/h; 181 mph) and the landing gear was down and locked. Both engines were in operation and producing power at the time. The aircraft had been following an ILS approach due to poor visibility and post crash investigation found the ILS system to be operating normally. In fact another aircraft landed 20 minutes after the crash of flight 6560 using an ILS approach.

On March 2014 The Canadian TSB released their final report.You can read here the full report

First Air Flight 6560

C-GNWN, the aircraft involved in the crash
Accident summary
Date	20 August 2011
Type	Controlled flight into terrain
Site	Near Resolute, Nunavut, Canada 74°43′08″N 094°55′05″W
Passengers	11
Crew	4
Injuries	3
Fatalities	12
Survivors	3
Aircraft type	Boeing 737-210C
Operator	First Air
Registration	C-GNWN
Flight origin	Yellowknife Airport
Destination	Resolute Bay Airport