This article aims to deliver all the imperative details of the Fort Smith airplane crash victims. Recently, the Transportation Safety Board assigned four officers to investigate and analyze the burnt wreckage of the plane. For the unversed, the wrecked plane was a British Aerospace Jetstream plane that was carrying workers en route to the Northwest Territories. The workers were traveling to a diamond mine located in the Northwest Territories. But in a shocking turn of events, the plane crashed and took the lives of six victims including four mine workers and two crew members. However, only one passenger who is a mine worker could survive the traumatic incident. You are asked to stick with this page and go through the article till the end. Drag down the page.
Fort Smith Airplane Crash Victims Names
The investigators who are analyzing the burnt wreckage of the British Aerospace Jetstream Plane have called the tragedy an accident on Tuesday. The preliminary report of the TBS claimed that the fatal plane accident that took the lives of six people in Fort Smith on Tuesday was an accident. Now the investigators are waiting for the witnesses to collect evidence and capture pictures and videos of the accident site to find out what led to the fatal plane crash.
The plane crashed in Fort Smith was traveling to a diamond mine in the Northwest Territories but unfortunately, it collided with the terrain in Fort Smith and caught fire. It is also said that the tragedy occurred shortly after the plane took off and started its journey to the Northwest Territories. Devastatingly, six people were cut short of their lives, four were mine workers and two were crew members. A young man who is a mine worker at Diavik Diamond Mine was the lone survivor of this tragedy.
Reports have claimed that the lone survivor and Diavik diamond mine worker was admitted to NWT hospital in Fort Smith. He was with serious burns when he was taken to the hospital. Other four workers of Diavik mine and two crew members of Northwestern Air Lease reportedly died at the scene. Out of six victims, three have been identified. Let’s take a look at their identities and read their details. Swipe down the page and read more details.
One of the three identified victims is Joel Tetso who was married to his wife Beverly Chepelsky who became a widow within minutes on Tuesday. Reportedly, she saw off her husband at the airport for his journey. Joel was a heavy-duty mechanic at Diavik Diamond Mine. He used to board a flight every two weeks to go to work helping excavate diamonds in a frozen subterranean lake on the edge of the Arctic Circle. The long work shifts away from home were balanced with two weeks off.
His wife Beverly said, “He was the love of our lives. We share three beautiful children from ages nine to 15. He was an amazing dad.” They were married for two decades. Chepelsky further said Joel used to make the most of his leaves by teaching his kids to play hockey, ride dirtbikes, and snowboard. He always took pride in their achievements. Joel was thinking of leaving his job at the mine and applying for a mechanic at the Fort Smith airport. He was 41 years old at the time of his harrowing death.
The second victim who was identified was Howie Benwell who was sitting on a few seats away from from Joel on the British Aerospace Jetstream plane. Howie Benwell’s sister Crystal Benwell spoke on behalf of his family. She said her brother had worked at Diavik mine for nine years as a heavy truck driver who used to haul rocks and precious minerals at the mine. Notably, Howie Benwell blew off the candle of his 30th birthday earlier this month on January 4, 2024. Rosemary Rayuka Paulette who is Benwell’s cousin, said that he was funny and loved playing guitar, and was hard working. Paulette had seen him a few weeks earlier and thought about the conversations they hadn’t finished. “When someone passes away, it’s very devastating…It’s heartbreaking,” she said. Swipe down the page and read about the third victim of the plane crash.
The third victim identified was Diane Balsille who was also an employee at Diavik Diamond Mine. Diane Balsille also boarded the plane for the same purpose Joel and Benwell boarded on January 23, 2024, Tuesday. But unfortunately, he met his tragic fate on that day and the Jetstream plane crashed after colliding with a terrain. Clayton Balsillie, Diane Balsille’s brother stated on behalf of the Greaving family “This tragedy brings back traumatic memories from survivors and families who have had loved ones perish in similar circumstances of the years across the North,” Stay tuned with us.