Beaver down off Saturna island (Updates)

[JOE BOY]

Anyone know if the pilot's initials are F.S? Pm me if you can thanks!

[fogghorn]

Very sad , first nice day in VR in a month and this happens

[stew]

"Seair has been in operation between Vancouver and Vancouver Island for 28 years, Clarke said, and has not had an accident until now."

Really, I can think of at least two others.

[ScudRunner]

Condolences to the family and Friends very sad to hear of this tragedy.

[robbreid]

airliners.net photo by Andy Graf

Seair a 1957 Beaver Mk. 1 C-GTMC landing at CAM9 Vancouver International Airport Seaplane Harbour
This aircraft is the accident aircraft, it was featured in Harrison Ford movie, 'Six Days Seven Nights'.

CLICK HERE for photo history of this aircraft.

[xsbank]

I have no idea how this happened and I am counting my blessings that it has not happened to me or my family. Having said that, this is a sad reminder that what we do out there is VERY dangerous and we can affect so many lives with just the blink of an eye. An experienced pilot, probably high time to get on with Seair, very familiar with a well-maintained aircraft and a routine sked - what could possibly go wrong?

Words can't express the sadness to those involved in this tragedy - my message on this site to the rest of us is to please be careful out there.

[jeta1]

On CTV news tonight they reported that the pilot tried to take off three times.... This will have to be determined by the TSB when they interview the pilot, but if it is accurate, it would indicate "conditions" were clearly less than ideal. "Conditions" being in brackets to include all factors of weather, weight, potential mechanical malfunction and/or pilot-decision making.

[orbit]

. Having said that, this is a sad reminder that what we do out there is VERY dangerous .

On sat. 7 pedestrians got hit in Vancouver, one died..
So I really don't agree with that,,,,I say plan ahead of the plane and work safe ; I know that's another story!

but be careful works for me!

my condolonces to all the families involved and all at Seair ....!

[xsbank]

Well, Orbit, you must be very young or very trusting to take that attitude. I wonder how you would feel if it was you that killed that pedestrian?

110,000 people die of heart disease and cancer each year in Canada. I didn't kill any of them. According to the statistics, flying some of those people around in a light single in 'bush' conditions makes my chances of being involved in a death, perhaps my own, much higher than if we all took the bus, or a ferry, for that very small portion of our lives.

Every time you accept a load of passengers you are opening a door in your future and you may become inextricably entwined with these same people for the rest of your life. Change your mind a bit?

All I want you to do is next time you are told you have a trip to Nanaimo, or wherever, that you use all of your skills and training to mitigate the risk. All of them. I am saying that this next trip you take goes way beyond "loving aviation" or any other way the young tend to try to justify the shirking of responsibility. Your responsibility is enormous so please take care.

Remember Hedley? "Skin, Tin, Ticket"

[flyinthebug]

Well, Orbit, you must be very young or very trusting to take that attitude. I wonder how you would feel if it was you that killed that pedestrian?

110,000 people die of heart disease and cancer each year in Canada. I didn't kill any of them. According to the statistics, flying some of those people around in a light single in 'bush' conditions makes my chances of being involved in a death, perhaps my own, much higher than if we all took the bus, or a ferry, for that very small portion of our lives.

Every time you accept a load of passengers you are opening a door in your future and you may become inextricably entwined with these same people for the rest of your life. Change your mind a bit?

All I want you to do is next time you are told you have a trip to Nanaimo, or wherever, that you use all of your skills and training to mitigate the risk. All of them. I am saying that this next trip you take goes way beyond "loving aviation" or any other way the young tend to try to justify the shirking of responsibility. Your responsibility is enormous so please take care.

Remember Hedley? "Skin, Tin, Ticket"

Well said!
Fly Safe all.

[MichaelP]

On CTV news tonight they reported that the pilot tried to take off three times....

They also report that the weather was not a factor and in this I have to disagree.
I was flying that afternoon and there was a lot of windshear. Both the wind direction and speed varied considerably with altitude so you did not only have to contend with change in wind velocity, it changed direction.
Looking out over Boundary Bay the water was rough. I would imagine that the sea conditions and the wind conditions around the islands would require careful consideration and planning to safely operate.

[EricCAX6]

On CTV news tonight they reported that the pilot tried to take off three times....

They also report that the weather was not a factor and in this I have to disagree.
I was flying that afternoon and there was a lot of windshear. Both the wind direction and speed varied considerably with altitude so you did not only have to contend with change in wind velocity, it changed direction.
Looking out over Boundary Bay the water was rough. I would imagine that the sea conditions and the wind conditions around the islands would require careful consideration and planning to safely operate.

I am not a pilot so I won't comment on anything technical, but I was working the dock here on Salt Spring in Ganges and the wind was fairly strong all day. I can recal a few times over the day when the waves were splashing over onto our large breakwater dock. You could also see the planes were being tossed around pretty well on landing and T/O. Visibility wasn't an issue but at 4:00pm + overcast it was starting to get fairly dark.

I wouldn't rule out weather completely.

[orbit]

Well, Orbit, you must be very young or very trusting to take that attitude. I wonder how you would feel if it was you that killed that pedestrian?
Every time you accept a load of passengers you are opening a door in your future and you may become inextricably entwined with these same people for the rest of your life. Change your mind a bit?

"you must be very young or very trusting to take that attitude. I wonder how you would feel if it was you that killed that pedestrian"
you are wrong here in both cases and to suggest the pilot killed the passengers is quite different from what happened! I've been around and my peers and as accidents happen I was trying to say you have to know your aircraft and fly buy the numbers.
What's this "
become inextricably entwined " coment are you nuts....? apart from trying to impress the board you can spell with more than a syllable!?????as far as your condescending remark you don't seem to get the coment I made? your coment is dumb...I feel safer in the plane than my car driving to work!
Flying has it's risks but it is not a deadly sport as you suggest, that's my point!
In flying you make mistakes you pay!and regretfully your passengers.
Pilots have to train and enforce overloads to passengers and operators and of course there is the weather! and as with my experience I have to retrain passengers as some other pilots always allowed overloads etc.

[xsbank]

Hands up those who were impressed with my spelling?

I'm just trying to make sense of this tragedy. Yes people are killed on the street, some die in hospital, nobody gets out alive. Just don't add to it. Our industry tends to kill a lot of innocent and trusting folks and that just seems so pointless - let the other causes get them.

It should be obvious to even the dimmest people on this site that all I am trying to do is remind us of our responsibilities. All of the enthusiasm for 'flying' tends to ignore this dirty little secret, that occasionally we kill some people. Sometimes we go in all by ourselves, which is somewhat better, but still a pointless waste. If you think you are immune from this, that its only crappy pilots or beginners or somehow-deficient pilots that do this, give your head a shake.

Just try and make it better - that's all.

[Doc]

Three take off attempts? I don't have much float time, but was this comment accurate? I would think that would be pretty abnormal in itself? Perhaps someone with a vast amount of float time could enlighten me? What would cause a pilot to take three kicks at the cat...?

[orbit]

Edited by Doc as a personal attack.
Let's try to stay on track here kids. Okay?

[scm]

Emotions run high whenever there is loss of life in aviation, especially for the locals. My condolences to all those involved.

Let's keep this thread civil.

[flyinthebug]

Emotions run high whenever there is loss of life in aviation, especially for the locals. My condolences to all those involved.

Let's keep this thread civil.

Agreed scm. Lets try to stay on track here.

Doc, no its not "normal" procedure to take 3 runs at a T/O. I have been known to attempt a 2nd if I feel *I* made an error in winds, current, whatever.. but after a second unsucessful attempt, its back to the dock and unload some gear and/or passengers at that point. Some witnesses reported 3 attempts and its not normal, but not unheard of..espically in that part of the world. It was reported to be gusty and wind sheer at varying alts. Perhaps he couldnt get directly into wind and had to try a few times. But 8 pax in a DHC2, even with one being an infant.. had to be heavy...unless he had half fronts and empty centre and rear. It will be interesting to hear what the pilot has to say.

Either way, a very sad day for all of us.
XS.. Phenomenal use of the english language
Fly safe all.

[xdriver]

A lot of the places on the coast you can't always take off into wind Doc

[Kilo-Kilo]

Three take off attempts? I don't have much float time, but was this comment accurate? I would think that would be pretty abnormal in itself? Perhaps someone with a vast amount of float time could enlighten me? What would cause a pilot to take three kicks at the cat...?

Being a clip from a news story, my first thought is that a plane at take-off power that skips on the wave tops a couple of times before climbing could look like it was trying to take off three times to a casual non-flying alarmist when confronted by a sensationalizing reporter.

To suggest three cycles of taxiing to a safe position and re-initiating a take-off run sounds a little embellished.

[orbit]

Hey Doc if this isn't character assasination ""Well, Orbit, you must be very young or very trusting to take that attitude""
what is this ....sensorship and I didn't even use the F word!? this sight is a disapointment!
sensorr xs if you are doing any justice to his remark!
As I blocked him and why do I see it here...obviously we need a none bias moderator!

[xsbank]

Orbit, chill out, I never intended to insult you. I'm sorry if you feel slighted.

[Doc]

I've gone over the posts between you guys.....I just don't get it. Several people died in this accident. Everybody take a deep breath and try and sort out your priorities. The next attack on anybody gets the whole thread locked. You guys don't need moderators, you need kindergarten teachers!

[Carrier]

Quote: "Seair has been in operation between Vancouver and Vancouver Island for 28 years, Clarke said, and has not had an accident until now."

From the Vancouver Sun: http://www.globaltvbc.com/world/Plane+S ... story.html
"A Seair Beaver float plane struck trees and crashed Sept. 22, 2000, while involved in the aerial release of fish fry to several lakes near Clearwater. The pilot and one passenger were injured, and the plane destroyed.
A Seair Cessna 208 Caravan crashed into a field shortly after takeoff Dec. 28, 1999, at Abbotsford airport, destroying the aircraft and injuring all six persons on board.
The pilot, company president Peter Clarke, was taking his family on a private trip to the southeastern U.S. en route to the Bahamas.
A federal investigation concluded the pilot took off with frost adhering to the aircraft’s lifting surfaces, which increased drag and reduced the ability of the wings to produce lift. It also found that the aircraft was about 230 kilograms in excess of its maximum takeoff weight, adversely affecting aircraft performance. Appropriate entries were not recorded in the aircraft’s journey and maintenance logs.
On March 28, 1996, the pilot and a passenger were injured when a Seair Beaver crashed north of Capilano Lake during the filming of a made-for-TV movie called To Brave Alaska."

[180]

He must have meant they hadn't had a fatal accident in 28 years?

My condolences to all those affected by this terrible accident. I know how hard it is on everyone involved. Such a devastating, tragic, life changing situation for so many people.

There but for the grace of God go most of us...