Cessna down near Port Alberni
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safetywatch
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Cessna down near Port Alberni
Global TV reporting a Cessna is down near Port Alberni about an hour ago. Looking for emergency tracking beacon
Re: Cessna down near Port Alberni
And those ELT's are so reliable .... I'm sure we're all hoping for a happy outcome.safetywatch wrote:Global TV reporting a Cessna is down near Port Alberni about an hour ago. Looking for emergency tracking beacon
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safetywatch
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Latest News
Global TV now saying that it was a flight from Sechelt to Port Alberni. Wreckage has been found and no further details being released until next of kin notified. Looks like 2 fatalities.
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safetywatch
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Latest News
OK the latest I have is its a 172 rented out of the Alberni Valley Flying Club by two men in their 50s
Also
Wreckage of Cessna aircraft located on Vancouver Island
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. (CP) - Rescue crews have located the wreckage of small plane that was overdue for landing last night on Vancouver Island.
The aircraft was spotted Sunday morning west of Horne Lake, close to its landing destination of Port Alberni.
The Cessna originally left from Sechelt, B.C.
Rescue officials say RCMP have taken over the investigation and there is no word on why the plane went down.
Two people were onboard the aircraft though their condition has not be revealed.
Also
Wreckage of Cessna aircraft located on Vancouver Island
PORT ALBERNI, B.C. (CP) - Rescue crews have located the wreckage of small plane that was overdue for landing last night on Vancouver Island.
The aircraft was spotted Sunday morning west of Horne Lake, close to its landing destination of Port Alberni.
The Cessna originally left from Sechelt, B.C.
Rescue officials say RCMP have taken over the investigation and there is no word on why the plane went down.
Two people were onboard the aircraft though their condition has not be revealed.
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ScudRunner
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safetywatch
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Weather Related
All the indications are that this is weather related with wet snow falling in the area at the time. Occupants ages were 56 and 59 according to Global TV
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Mitch Cronin
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The rescue crew may just have meant that the RCMP was securing the scene, rather than doing the TSB's job.Mitch Cronin wrote:Past experience tells me the RCMP get involved when one of theirs was on board... There may be many other reasons for them to investigate, but I know that's one of them.
Thoughts and sincere sympathies to those suffering...
Latest from the Vancouver Province Newspaper
Pilot, passenger die in plane crash
Port Alberni men run into trouble over mountainous terrain
Lora Grindlay; with files from David Carrigg
The Province; and CanWest News
Monday, April 17, 2006
Shock and grief descended on members of the Alberni Valley Flying Club yesterday with news that two of their own had died in a plane crash near Port Alberni.
The two Port Alberni men, the
59-year-old pilot and his 56-year-old passenger, died when their Cessna 172B crashed in snowy, mountainous terrain just east of the Beaufort Range, west of Horne Lake.
The single-engine plane, owned by the 30-member club, was returning to Port Alberni from Sechelt when the crash occurred.
Pilot David Guy was the flying club's treasurer and had been a club member for 20 years.
The identity of the passenger could not be confirmed, but Port Alberni RCMP Cpl. Rob Foster said he worked in a local mill.
"Everybody's just in shock and really sad for the families of the passenger and pilot," said club president Darren Hansen. "We'll miss those guys."
He said the cause of the crash is unknown. "There was some wind and cloud and stuff."
Hansen said the 1961 Cessna was in "excellent shape," adding: "I've flown it for five years. I loved that plane."
The search was launched when Guy failed to complete his flight plan as planned at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Foster said a Cormorant helicopter from Comox's 442 Squadron located the wreckage Saturday night by the emergency locator on the downed plane.
But low cloud cover, wind and swirling snow forced the Cormorant to retreat from the search, said Capt. Cheryl Robinson.
Even with flares and a searchlight, "the weather was too awful, so they just couldn't see a thing," she said.
Aircraft commander Capt. Brad Steels said: "We had just begun our contour crawl of the suspected flight path when we picked up a strong ELT signal. It was the last ridge before Port Alberni, but we couldn't make visual identification to be sure, the entire area was obscured by thick cloud.
"We made several attempts to get to the site, but the weather deteriorated and then snow showers precluded us from getting near enough to even hoist the search-and-rescue technicians close to the area. We returned to Comox for fuel and then flew back to the site with a Buffalo accompanying us to provide top cover and flares to illuminate the area, as it was getting close to dark."
As dusk approached, about 20 volunteers from 19 Wing, the RCMP and the Alberni Valley Rescue Squad piled into trucks and on to ATVs. They used hand-held devices to hone in on the emergency signal. With visibility of less than 15 metres, and fresh snow falling, they searched all night and reached the plane in a dense patch of trees at about 6 a.m. yesterday.
Al Jones, a member of the squad, said the search was undertaken in "very, very difficult conditions."
"The terrain was pretty rough, lots of bluffs, very steep terrain and then it snowed pretty much most of the night."
The cause of the crash is unknown, and the federal Transportation Safety Board and the B.C. Coroners Service are investigating.
The Cessna was bought by the club in 2001 and used as both a club and a rental plane.
It was flying under visual flight rules, which meant the pilot relied on seeing the terrain, said TSB manager Bill Yearwood. Unlike larger planes, the Cessna was not equipped to fly by instruments, a common practice during poor visibility.
Southern and western Vancouver Island were under a wind warning Saturday evening, although Environment Canada recorded winds of only five knots, gusting to 15 knots, at Port Alberni airport.
"I certainly wouldn't have flown yesterday -- it looked pretty bad," said George Pohl, Sechelt Airport manager, where the flight departed at 2 p.m. Saturday. "Most of the local pilots weren't flying."
It is the second fatal plane crash near Port Alberni this year.
Port Alberni men run into trouble over mountainous terrain
Lora Grindlay; with files from David Carrigg
The Province; and CanWest News
Monday, April 17, 2006
Shock and grief descended on members of the Alberni Valley Flying Club yesterday with news that two of their own had died in a plane crash near Port Alberni.
The two Port Alberni men, the
59-year-old pilot and his 56-year-old passenger, died when their Cessna 172B crashed in snowy, mountainous terrain just east of the Beaufort Range, west of Horne Lake.
The single-engine plane, owned by the 30-member club, was returning to Port Alberni from Sechelt when the crash occurred.
Pilot David Guy was the flying club's treasurer and had been a club member for 20 years.
The identity of the passenger could not be confirmed, but Port Alberni RCMP Cpl. Rob Foster said he worked in a local mill.
"Everybody's just in shock and really sad for the families of the passenger and pilot," said club president Darren Hansen. "We'll miss those guys."
He said the cause of the crash is unknown. "There was some wind and cloud and stuff."
Hansen said the 1961 Cessna was in "excellent shape," adding: "I've flown it for five years. I loved that plane."
The search was launched when Guy failed to complete his flight plan as planned at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Foster said a Cormorant helicopter from Comox's 442 Squadron located the wreckage Saturday night by the emergency locator on the downed plane.
But low cloud cover, wind and swirling snow forced the Cormorant to retreat from the search, said Capt. Cheryl Robinson.
Even with flares and a searchlight, "the weather was too awful, so they just couldn't see a thing," she said.
Aircraft commander Capt. Brad Steels said: "We had just begun our contour crawl of the suspected flight path when we picked up a strong ELT signal. It was the last ridge before Port Alberni, but we couldn't make visual identification to be sure, the entire area was obscured by thick cloud.
"We made several attempts to get to the site, but the weather deteriorated and then snow showers precluded us from getting near enough to even hoist the search-and-rescue technicians close to the area. We returned to Comox for fuel and then flew back to the site with a Buffalo accompanying us to provide top cover and flares to illuminate the area, as it was getting close to dark."
As dusk approached, about 20 volunteers from 19 Wing, the RCMP and the Alberni Valley Rescue Squad piled into trucks and on to ATVs. They used hand-held devices to hone in on the emergency signal. With visibility of less than 15 metres, and fresh snow falling, they searched all night and reached the plane in a dense patch of trees at about 6 a.m. yesterday.
Al Jones, a member of the squad, said the search was undertaken in "very, very difficult conditions."
"The terrain was pretty rough, lots of bluffs, very steep terrain and then it snowed pretty much most of the night."
The cause of the crash is unknown, and the federal Transportation Safety Board and the B.C. Coroners Service are investigating.
The Cessna was bought by the club in 2001 and used as both a club and a rental plane.
It was flying under visual flight rules, which meant the pilot relied on seeing the terrain, said TSB manager Bill Yearwood. Unlike larger planes, the Cessna was not equipped to fly by instruments, a common practice during poor visibility.
Southern and western Vancouver Island were under a wind warning Saturday evening, although Environment Canada recorded winds of only five knots, gusting to 15 knots, at Port Alberni airport.
"I certainly wouldn't have flown yesterday -- it looked pretty bad," said George Pohl, Sechelt Airport manager, where the flight departed at 2 p.m. Saturday. "Most of the local pilots weren't flying."
It is the second fatal plane crash near Port Alberni this year.
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Northern Skies
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