Kenn Borek Air
Kenn Borek Air is an airline based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It operates regional passenger and cargo services, contract operations in the Arctic and Antarctic and aircraft leasing. Its main base is at Calgary International Airport. It charters aircraft for scientific expeditions, oil exploration, etc., and operates air ambulance services.
History
The airline began operations in 1970 with a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter providing air support for oil exploration activities in the Canadian Arctic. The company has been operating in Antarctica since 1985.On 26 April 2001, Kenn Borek Air used a DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft to rescue Dr. Ron Shemenski from the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. This was the first ever rescue from the South Pole during polar winter. To achieve the range necessary for this flight, the Twin Otter was equipped with a special ferry tank.
In 2009, the company was commissioned to recover a crashed aircraft in the Antarctic, and employees spent 25 days in a makeshift camp to complete the project.
The airline was used by the BBC during the filming of the documentary Frozen Planet, which was narrated by David Attenborough, and one of its planes is seen in portions of the footage.
In June 2016 the company assisted in removing two sick workers from Antarctica during the polar winter. Two Twin Otter aircraft were used and successfully completed the mission. The crew,
Capt. Wally Dobchuk, first officer Sebastian Trudel and maintenance engineer Michael McCrae were honoured for their heroism by Aviation Week.
Operations
Kenn Borek Air offers a full service overhaul maintenance hangar in Calgary with routine maintenance being completed wherever the aircraft is located.Destinations
As of September 2019 Kenn Borek operates scheduled services to several communities in the Northwest Territories as Aklak Air:- Fort McPherson
- Inuvik
- Paulatuk
- Sachs Harbour
- Ulukhaktok
Fleet
| Aircraft | No. of aircraft | Variants | Notes |
| Beechcraft 1900 | 3 | 1900D | |
| Beechcraft Super King Air | 4 | Model B200, Model B200GT | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | 21 | DHC-6 Series 100, DHC-6 Series 300 | |
| Douglas DC-3 | 9 | DC-3C, DC-3A-S1C3G, DC3C-S4C4G | Three are piston engine and six are Basler BT-67 turboprops |
| Viking Air DHC-6 | 1 | Series 400 |
The Transport Canada list includes a DHC-6 Twin Otter both with cancelled certificates.
Accidents and incidents
- On 28 February 1977, Douglas C-47A C-FIQR crashed near Saglone, Quebec.
- On 18 September 1978, Douglas C-47A C-FCRW was damaged beyond economic repair in a landing accident at Komakuk Airport, Northwest Territories.
- On 7 May 1982, Douglas C-47A C-FQHF overran the runway at Calgary International Airport following an aborted take-off. The aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair.
- On 20 December 2007, Basler BT-67 C-FMKB was substantially damaged in a take-off accident at Mount Patterson, Antarctica when the take-off was attempted with insufficient speed for flight. Of the 12 people on board, only the co-pilot suffered minor injuries. Although both sets of undercarriage collapsed and the port wing was damaged, the aircraft was later repaired and returned to service.
- On 25 October 2010, Beechcraft King Air C-FAFD en route from Edmonton City Centre to Kirby Lake, crashed 1.5 NM southeast of Kirby Lake. One of the ten occupants on board was killed, four were seriously injured.
- On 4 November 2010, a hangar fire at Inuvik Airport destroyed three aircraft owned by Kenn Borek Air and operated by Aklak Air. They were de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter C-GZVH, Beechcraft King Air C-GHOC and Beechcraft 99 C-FKBK.
- On 23 January 2013, an ELT activated in Antarctica, in the Queen Alexandra Range. On board C-GKBC, the DHC-6 Twin Otter skiplane were 3 Canadians. The plane had been en route from the South Pole's Amundsen–Scott US station to Terra Nova Bay's Zucchelli Italian station, operating under the auspices of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development The aircraft was found on 25 January 2013. It had impacted Mount Elizabeth at the 13,000-foot level. The New Zealand helicopter rescue team which spotted the wreckage reported that the accident was not survivable.