The pilot of a float plane, seen in this handout photo from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, safely landed on a rural highway in the Northwest Territories, on Aug. 29, 2024, after running out of fuel mid-flight. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - TSB (Mandatory Credit)
The pilot of a float plane, seen in this handout photo from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, safely landed on a rural highway in the Northwest Territories, on Aug. 29, 2024, after running out of fuel mid-flight. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout - TSB (Mandatory Credit)
FORT SIMPSON - Federal investigators say a fuelling fiasco forced a float plane pilot to make a dramatic landing on a highway in the Northwest Territories.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says the pilot was 14 kilometres from Fort Simpson last summer when his plane ran out of gas and lost power.
The TSB says the plane's three fuel tanks were filled before takeoff, but swells coming off the lake made it challenging for the pilot to tell whether the tanks had been completely filled.
On the trip back to Fort Simpson, the pilot noticed the plane's fuel gauges were showing empty sooner than expected.
When the plane's power went out, the pilot made a Mayday call and safely landed the plane on a dirt highway.
Nobody was injured, and the plane sustained only minor scratches to the underside of the floats.
The report did not say whether anyone was at fault, as TSB investigations are used to improve safety.
This report by °µÍø½ûÇø was first published Aug. 19, 2025.
