Fatal floatplane crash near Owen Sound July 4 2013

[armchair]

http://www.owensoundsuntimes.com/2013/0 ... ith-island

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013 ... n_bay.html

http://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/fatal-float ... -1.1353778

Never fun to hear about another one of these... few details available yet but these news reports do not sound promising.

[PilotDAR]

That is sad. It would be uncommon for the waters around Griffith Island to be calm enough to be suitable for most floatplane operations.

[bizjets101]

OPP Statement;

Three males from the Sudbury area were killed in a float plane crash near Griffith Island in Georgian Bay

Their identities are being withheld until their families are notified however police say the three men were 72, 52 and 45-years old. The Transportation Safety Bureau will be arriving in the morning to assist with the investigation.

The initial call about the crash came just before 2 p.m. today. A 1956 182 Cessna amphibious plane was in its final approach to land on the runway on Griffith Island when it crashed into the water, about 220 meters short of the runway.

[bizjets101]

Don't think there is a runway on Griffith Island;

Witness saw aircraft landing in the water and flip, photo - gear down.

[GUMPS]

Check your facts. There is actually a 2,700ft turf runway on Griffith used for the hunt lodge. If the runway is irrelevant to this accident who knows yet. But like DAR said, waves aren't suitable around there for landing, specially if you have the option to land on something like a runway.

[bizjets101]

Don't think there is a runway on Griffith Island;

Didn't see it on google earth or ourairports - regarding the accident, OPP stated it landed short of the runway - I've actually never heard of Griffith Island, let alone a hunting lodge runway.

Accident aircraft is the one that Matthew Gougeon Click Here flew coast to coast in the cross Canada Solo Challenge last summer.


photo SpotterTim/Flickr

[Heliian]

The aircraft was on approach for the runway, hence the wheels down.

My thoughts are with the family and friends at this time.

[PilotDAR]

Oh dear.....

This plane I know well, and the runway at Griffith Island I know well.

Griffith has one of the nicest grass runways I have used. I am aware that it has been used by Navajos and Citations, and certainly me, it is long and smooth. Its eastern end is an over water approach. It is very unlikely, however, that the waters off the end of the runway are usable for a float plane - that's the big water there. It looks like the eastern end of the runway is in the background of the photo.

I have water landed with great caution in the lee of Griffith Island, tucked in close to shore, but even this is infrequently possible. You certainly would not fly to Griffith planning to be able to land in the water there. As an aside, White Cloud Island next to the west has two runways, which I have flown into as recently as last fall, and as long ago as 38 years ago. Not quite as nice as Griffith's though.

That plane was extensively rebuilt, and modified to amphibian, from very tired flying condition (fuselage by me) in 1998. It was rebuilt again subsequently years later following another unfortunate event. Though it had a colourful past, it was a great plane. Sad....

[mmmcharron]

Did this airplane have shoulder harnesses?

[costermonger]

Did this airplane have shoulder harnesses?

According to the link bizjets101 posted, yes. In the front, at least.