Beaver down off Saturna island (Updates)

[180]

I just heard through the Coast Guard that a float plane, possibly a Beaver, went down off of Saturna island about an hour ago.

Does anyone have any more information?

Crossing fingers that everyone is OK.

[moocow]

Nothing much from the 6pm news. Say 2 rescued from possible 7. Plane is fully submerge in 40 ft water. CTV say it's from Seaair.

[180]

Global BC news says a Seair Beaver with 7 on board crashed on take-off from Lyall harbour on Saturna, 3 or 4 people have been "recovered", conditions were gusty and that the pilot was experienced and in his 30's.

prayers everyone...

[Mr. North]

Float plane crashes off B.C. coast
Last Updated: Sunday, November 29, 2009 | 6:05 PM PT Comments0Recommend1
CBC News
Search and rescue officials in B.C. say a float plane carrying as many as seven people has crashed off the Gulf Islands, east of Vancouver Island.

Saturna Island, B.C.

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Capt. Bob Evans of the Victoria joint-rescue co-ordination centre said the crash happened late Sunday afternoon in Lyall Harbour off Saturna Island.

Reports indicated the plane was carrying as many seven people and it's believed four of them have been rescued.

Michael Vautour, who works at the BC Ferries terminal at Lyall Harbour, told CBC News the flight left at 4 p.m. PT and was destined for the Vancouver airport.

"I noticed a bit of a flash and that's what made me look out the window and as I looked out I saw [the plane's] nose diving into the water," he said.

"The tail stayed up for four or five minutes and during that time a couple of locals ran down to our government dock, boarded their boats and zoomed out to see if they could help anyone and by the time they got there, the tail had gone under water."

Vautour said the boaters pulled one woman out of the water. He said she was taken to hospital by helicopter.

Saturna Island is at the western edge of the Gulf Islands, more than 50 kilometres south of Vancouver.

[robbreid]

Very sad news, Thank you for posting updates.

[flyinthebug]

Very difficult part of the world to fly, espically this time of year.

My thoughts and prayers are with all involved.

Any further updates would be much appreciated.

Fly safe all.

Edit for link. I just got this off google. My sincere condolences to those lost.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/people ... story.html

[sky's the limit]

Sad news, it's winter, fly safe everyone.

stl

[Rowdy]

Brutal, just brutal. I heard the pilot is one of the survivors and they are still out in full force tonight looking for the remainder. Lets hope they find the rest of the pax. My prayers are with the families of all involved.

[flyinggirl]

Always sad when it hits close to home.
My thoughts go out to the friends and family of everyone involved.

Very sad......

[Snowroller]

Sincere condolences & respects from the east coast..

[EricCAX6]

Was working the dock here on Salt Spring Island when the Seair plane left for Saturna. I hope everyone is ok.

EDIT: The aircraft that crashed was not the same one that left Salt Spring. Thought so at the time though.

[The Old Fogducker]

My condolences to the folks at Seaair. This has to be a terrible time for everyone.

Tough area to fly in, I count myself exceptionally lucky not to have had an accident in those same aircraft, waters and weather.

OFD

[Widow]

My most heartfelt sympathies to all who are touched by this apparent tragedy. Strength and courage.

[sky's the limit]

Search and rescue officials say six people are missing, including an infant, after a float plane crashed Sunday afternoon in the Southern Gulf Islands. Two people, a female passenger and the pilot, were rescued.

Lt. Paul Pendergast of the Victoria Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre told CBC News that divers were searching for the missing six in Lyall Harbour off Saturna Island on Sunday evening. Dozens of search-and-rescue members were conducting the search in the water and from the air. But the aircraft has not been located, he said.

Saturna Island, B.C.


View Larger Map

The centre's Cpl. Saralynn Hickey said the crash happened at 4:10 p.m. PT in Lyall Harbour. The cause of the crash was unclear, officials said.

The two rescued people were airlifted to Victoria General Hospital, but their conditions have not been disclosed, Pendergast said.

He said the search efforts continue even in darkness with several surface vessels and two aircraft, including a Cormorant helicopter. But search efforts will be suspended later Sunday evening and resume Monday morning if the missing haven't been rescued, he said.

Richmond, B.C.-based Seair Seaplanes Ltd. confirmed its de Havilland Beaver plane crashed. The plane was making a scheduled stop at Saturna to pick up passengers on the way to Vancouver.

Company spokeswoman Christy Clarke couldn't confirm whether the plane was carrying seven or eight people. There were conflicting eyewitness reports that the plane either crashed after takeoff or crashed as it was landing, which would affect the number of passengers who would have either boarded or disembarked, she said.

But the centre's Pendergast confirmed Sunday evening that in total eight, including a baby, were on the plane. The information was relayed to him by a medical technician who was with the pilot, he said.

Michael Vautour, who works at the BC Ferries terminal at Lyall Harbour, told CBC News the flight left at 4 p.m. PT.

"I noticed a bit of a flash and that's what made me look out the window and as I looked out I saw [the plane's] nose diving into the water," he said.

"The tail stayed up for four or five minutes and during that time a couple of locals ran down to our government dock, boarded their boats and zoomed out to see if they could help anyone and by the time they got there, the tail had gone under water."

Vautour said the boaters pulled one woman from the water.

Allen Olsen, 62, was in the pub at Lyall Harbour when the crash occurred. He set out on his boat to help.

"I thought we would run out there in our boats and rescue people off of pontoons or something, and the plane was gone."

Olsen said the two boats that arrived at the scene first pulled the pilot and a woman out of the water with some difficulty.

He said the pilot was talking to rescuers, but both survivors were in bad shape after being pulled from the water.

"The pilot was in a lot of pain. He was in the water and he was screaming and moaning. He was conscious but he was in a lot of pain," Olsen told The Canadian Press in a telephone interview.

Olsen said two residents of Saturna Island were among the missing. He declined to identify them but said they had been at the pub prior to boarding the plane, watching the Grey Cup game.

Saturna Island is located at the eastern edge of the Gulf Islands, more than 50 kilometres south of Vancouver.

Last year, there were two fatal float plane crashes off B.C.'s coast. In August 2008, five people died when a Pacific Coastal Airlines Grumman Goose crashed on Vancouver Island.

In November 2008, one man survived a crash that killed seven others on Thormanby Island, located between the B.C. mainland and northern Vancouver Island.

[peakbagger]

Very sad news,
Being a relatively new pilot and new to Avcanada, I am starting to see that these tragedies are more of a regular occurance than I would like to see. Part of the ilifestyle I guess. I can't imagine living through an accident while losing passengers. My thoughts are with everyone who is involved.

[A2G]

They're still dropping luminescence, hope they find more

[CL-Skadoo!]

Part of the lifestyle I guess.

No, no it isn't. Don't think that for a second.

[EricCAX6]

Part of the lifestyle I guess.

No, no it isn't. Don't think that for a second.

Ya really...

[robbreid]

CLICK HERE for update and video from diamondpilot.blogspot.com

from Canwest;

VICTORIA — Six bodies, one of them an infant's, have been found inside a float plane that crashed Sunday afternoon on taking off from a B.C. island.

A Coast Guard dive team at Lyall Harbour on Saturna Island found the aircraft with the bodies inside shortly before 1 a.m. today at a depth of 11 metres, said Troy Haddock, maritime co-ordinator for the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria.

Rescuers had a difficult time finding the plane because of near-zero visibility in the water and strong currents, he said.

Two people — a male pilot and a female passenger — were rescued and taken to hospital shortly after the plane crashed.

They were rescued by locals who saw the crash, jumped into their boats and raced out to the plane as it quickly sank into the waters of the island, nestled between the mainland and Vancouver Island.

Seair co-owner Christy Clarke was in the company's Vancouver office Sunday evening, waiting for details from the crash site. Company representatives will be on the scene as soon as they can on Monday.

Clarke said it is likely the crash happened on takeoff, given the number of people on board.

Clarke said the pilot has been with Seair, flying full time for the last three years. She did not want to give out any further details about the pilot. Seair has been in operation between Vancouver and Vancouver Island for 28 years, Clarke said, and has not had an accident until now.

The Transportation Safety Board will be on the scene Monday to determine what caused the crash.

"Hopefully, we will be able to talk to the survivors to determine if they know what caused this," said Bill Yearwood, the Pacific region regional manager for the TSB. "They may have the best information as to what happened."

The TSB will attempt to retrieve the submerged aircraft to examine it as well. Small aircraft don't have black boxes or recordings that can give a sense of what has happened when there is a crash.

The plane was making a scheduled flight to Vancouver airport. It had picked up passengers on Mayne and Pender Islands before its final stop at Saturna.

Allen Olsen was in the nearby pub watching the Grey Cup game and visiting with friends when he heard someone shout, "It crashed!"

"I couldn't believe it," Olsen said. "The plane was in the water, with the nose in the water and one wing up in the air."

Olsen jumped into his sailboat and motored as quickly as he could across the harbour to the site, as did several other boats.

In the three or four minutes it took to get there, the plane had sunk under the water.

An aluminum boat and an inflatable boat got to the scene first. When Olsen got there, the rescuers were struggling to pull two people from the water, the pilot and one passenger.

"They were conscious. The pilot was in a lot of pain," Olsen said. The two were pulled into the boats and taken to the nearby government dock.

Olsen knew the couple who boarded the plane at Saturna, but didn't want to name them. They are a California couple with a cottage on Saturna.

According to its website, Seair Seaplanes incorporated in 1980 and began a business associated with aircraft chartering, maintenance and servicing. It then launched a scheduled service to the Gulf Islands, providing customers with eight flights daily and service to Nanaimo with up to 10 flights per day.

[viccoastdog]

I fly into Lyall all the time. Can be surprisingly tricky. Does anyone know who the pilot was (pm me, if you could).