FORT SMITH, N.W.T. — One of the people who died in a charter plane crash outside of Fort Smith, N.W.T., earlier this week was a heavy equipment operator at a diamond mine who loved playing music and being an uncle, his sister said Friday.
Crystal Benwell confirmed her brother, Howie Benwell, was on a British Aerospace Jetstream that crashed shortly after takeoff on Tuesday. Four passengers and two crew members died. One survivor was taken to hospital in Yellowknife.
"Howie was able to light up the room wherever he went," Benwell said in a Facebook message.
"He was an inspiration to many in and around our community."
Howie Benwell, who recently turned 30, was headed to work at the Diavik Diamond Mine, some 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife, when the plane operated by Northwestern Air Lease hit the ground and caught fire.
Benwell said her brother was the youngest of the family, loved playing guitar and bass, and held a special spot in his heart for his two young nieces.
"He is greatly missed, and has already left his legacy," she said.
Clayton Balsillie previously confirmed his sister Diane Balsillie, who also worked at the mine, was among those killed.
Investigators started going through the crash site on Thursday.
The Transportation Safety Board released photos from the scene showing the wreckage of the charter plane in a heavily wooded area.
The pictures show the plane severely damaged, its fuselage tattered, lying in a heavily wooded area just west of town.
The agency said this kind of investigation is generally completed within 15 months.
Fort Smith is a town of some 2,200 right by the Alberta boundary.
Aunty's Korner Store is a gathering point for many in the community, and residents have been there talking about the crash.
Co-owner Darlene Sibbeston said northerners use small charter planes, like the one involved in Tuesday's crash, the same as southerners use taxis or buses to get around.
"It's a way of life to get from community to community, because in the region I'm from there are communities that don't have roads so you have to fly in there with smaller planes," said Sibbeston, who is from Fort Simpson some 700 kilometres northwest of her current town.
Tuesday's crash brought back terrifying memories of a flight she took in November of 2021.
She was leaving Yellowknife and bound for Fort Simpson, where she was living at the time.
"It's about an hour-and-a-half flight and we ran out of fuel," said Sibbeston, who said the plane ended up in a marshy area.
"I'm here today. Everybody survived. It was pretty scary and in my chest right now I can feel it … when I talk about it … so there was points that kind of triggered that trauma."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2024.
— With files from Brittany Hobson in Winnipeg.
Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press
