4 safe after medevac plane overshoots runway in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut - Action News
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4 safe after medevac plane overshoots runway in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut

Two members of the flight crew and two medics are safe after a Keewatin Air plane they were on overran the runway while landing in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, Friday morning.

Environment Canada issued a wind warning for the community Friday morning

A wooden welcome sign greets visitors to Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, on the outskirts of town.
A sign welcoming people to Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, taken in October 2021. The Transportation Safety Board says one person was injured after a King Air B-200 plane overran the runway in the hamlet on Friday morning. (David Gunn/CBC)

Keewatin Air is vowing to make sure medevac services continue after one of its planes overran the runway in Sanikiluaq, Nunavut, on Friday morning.

TheBeechcraft King AirB-200 plane was carrying four Keewatin Air crew memberstwo flight crew and two medics during the landing at about 6:45 a.m. ET, saidairline president Jason Kendall in an email to CBC News.

Sanikiluaq is located on the Belcher Islands in Hudson Bay.Everyone on boardreceivedmedical evaluation at the local health centre, Kendallsaid, without offering any details of injuries.A spokesperson for Nunavut's RCMPhad earliersaid the injuries were minor.

"The aircraft involved did sustain significant damage," Kendall said. He notedthey would be assessing its condition in the coming days.

Keewatin Air provides medical evacuation services inparts of Nunavut.

"Keewatin Air does have the capacity to immediately back-up that aircraft with suitable alternate equipment and will ensure there is no disruption to medevac service as a result of this incident," Kendall said.

TSB determining if investigation is warranted

A spokesperson for the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) had earlier said the plane was carrying two crew and two passengers, and that one person was reportedly injured.

The TSB was gathering information Friday to determine whether an investigation was warranted.

Sanikiluaq is on the Belcher Islands in Hudson Bay. (CBC)

Sanikiluaq's senior administrative officer Ronald Ladd, also reached by phone, said he had been to the site and there was no loss of life and that everyone was safe.

While it's still unclear what caused the plane to overrun the runway, Environment Canada had issued a wind warning for Sanikiluaq early Friday morning, with winds forecasted to reach 90 km/h by the afternoon.

At 7 a.m.,Environment Canada was reporting winds of 63 km/h with gusts of 73 km/h.

In a news release, Nunavut RCMP confirmed that "weather conditions at the time of the incident were reported to be high winds, blowing snow with poor visibility."