O-1 Superdog (C-FTGE) – From the Investigator

The accident flight was part of the Air Cadet Gliding Program, where the Superdog aircraft is a tow-plane used in support of the glider pilot training. This specific flight was the Annual Proficiency Check flight of one of the tow-plane pilots.

After taking off, and as the pilots were leveling off the aircraft at approximately 1,000 feet above-ground-level, smoke filled the cockpit and the engine began producing partial power. An emergency was declared and the pilots landed safely back on the airfield. The engine was immediately shut down after landing.

The aircraft sustained minor damage that was isolated to the engine. There were no injuries.

The investigation revealed evidence of a technical issue related to when the engine was recently rebuilt and is now focusing on materiel and human factors.