Canada’s Transportation Safety Board is set to begin an investigation today to determine what caused a float plane to crash on an uninhabited B.C. island, killing four of the nine people aboard.
Three investigators from the safety board’s Richmond office are expected to arrive at the crash site on Addenbroke Island, about 100 kilometres north of Port Hardy, this morning, said TSB spokesperson Chris Krepski.
The Transportation Safety Board is an independent agency that investigates incidents to improve the safety of air, marine, rail and pipeline transportation.
The Cessna 208 Caravan carrying one pilot and eight passengers crashed about 11 a.m. Friday.
Four people were confirmed dead. Two people in critical condition were airlifted to Vancouver, while three people in serious but stable condition were transported to a local hospital for treatment. The single-engine aircraft, with capacity for 14 people, was heading to Calvert Island, a popular recreational site that’s home to the Hakai Land and Sea fishing lodge and a Hakai Institute coastal research station. The charter flight was not bound for either destination.
The on-site investigation is the first of three phases to determine what brought the plane down. Investigators will examine and photograph the site and the aircraft wreckage. They’ll also identify components of the aircraft to undergo further analysis at the safety board’s engineering lab in Ottawa.
Krepski couldn’t say how long the on-site investigation would take. “Sometimes they wrap up in a day. Sometimes it takes a few days. It depends on the wreckage. It depends on the access to the site and the complexities that we find when we’re there,” he said.
In addition to examining the site, investigators will gather information from the plane’s operator, Seair Seaplanes, about the aircraft’s maintenance history and the pilot’s experience. They’ll also look at the weather at the time and radar and communication data from air traffic control.
Weather data from the Hakai Institute showed intense rain between 10:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Friday, around the time of the crash.
Following the crash site examination, the safety board’s investigation will analyze the data collected to try to determine contributing factors to the crash and publish a report that will summarize the findings.
“We take the time necessary to do a thorough investigation,” Krepski said.
Seair, which has bases at Vancouver airport, the Vancouver Convention Centre and in Nanaimo, issued a statement after the crash.
“Our thoughts are with those involved in the crash and their loved ones and [we] are devastated by this fatal accident,” the company said Friday evening. “We are currently working with first responders and authorities and have immediately suspended all flights.”
The company confirmed that scheduled flights resumed Saturday morning, following a mechanical and safety inspection of all aircraft.
The B.C. Ferries vessel Northern Sea Wolf and a coast guard helicopter responded to the crash by early afternoon, followed by a Cormorant helicopter and a Buffalo aircraft from 19 Wing Comox. Two coast guard vessels also responded, along with RCMP from Bella Bella, is about three-and-a-half hours by boat from Addenbroke Island.
The Northern Sea Wolf was in the area of the crash because its route from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert passes the remote island.
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With files from The Canadian Press
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