Campbell River

The left engine of the float equipped Beechcraft D18S suffered a loss of oil pressure shortly after takeoff from Jackson Bay, BC. The engine lost power, the aircraft yawed to the left and while contacting the water, the left float was torn off. The pilot and all six passengers escaped with six life jackets and held on to one float which remained afloat. The aircraft sank within a minute. All seven occupants were rescued in about half an hour. One passenger got a minor injury and all suffered some levels of hypothermia.

A de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver floatplane, C-GVHT (serial number 257), took off from Campbell River, British Columbia, at 1530 Pacific daylight time, with a pilot and four passengers on board. The aircraft was on a visual flight rules flight to a logging camp on Mackenzie Sound, 76 nautical miles northwest of Campbell River, and was scheduled to arrive at 1700. When the aircraft arrived over the Mackenzie logging camp, the pilot informed ground personnel by radio that he was overhead at 2800 feet, between cloud layers with no place to descend, and that because of unfavourable weather conditions, he was returning, presumably to Campbell River. The aircraft then flew to a clear area north of the camp and entered the Frederic Creek valley. When company ground personnel could not contact the aircraft by radio, they began a ground search, later followed by an aerial search. The searches were hampered by poor weather. The aircraft wreckage was found three days later, about four nautical miles northeast of the camp. The accident occurred at 1706 in daylight conditions. All occupants were fatally injured, and the aircraft was destroyed. The emergency locator transmitter was destroyed on impact and did not transmit a signal. No fire occurred.

The single engine aircraft was on a delivery flight from Campbell River to the seaplane base of Seal Cove in Prince Rupert. En route, in unclear circumstances, the aircraft crashed near Captain Cove, about 50 km southeast of Prince Rupert. Both passengers Mark Jonathan Cholomondeley and Ferlie Bating were killed while the pilot Spike Nasmyth survived.

The single-engine turbine Otter on amphibious floats departed Triumph Bay, British Columbia, at 1634 Pacific daylight saving time (PDT) with one pilot and nine passengers on board for a visual flight rules (VFR) flight to Campbell River. At 19:01:59 the pilot called Campbell River Flight Service Station (FSS) and reported that he was seven nautical miles (nm) northwest of the airport, inbound for Campbell River. Radar data from Comox indicate that, when this call was made, the aircraft was actually 11 nm northwest of Campbell River, just south of the Narrows (see map, Appendix A). At 19:02:40, the pilot was given the 1900 PDT Campbell River weather observation, which was as follows: ceiling 300 feet overcast and visibility two miles in light rain and fog. The pilot requested a special VFR (SVFR) clearance to enter the Campbell River control zone. Clearance for SVFR was delayed by Comox air traffic control (ATC) until an instrument flight rules (IFR) aircraft on approach to Campbell River had landed. At 19:03:54, the IFR aircraft reported breaking clouds at 900 feet above sea level (asl), which would be approximately 550 feet above ground level, on the ILS approach to runway 11 at Campbell River (airport elevation is 346 feet). This information was acknowledged by the turbine Otter pilot. The IFR aircraft landed at 1904, and the turbine Otter was issued an SVFR clearance at 19:04:45. Radar data indicate that, at that time, the aircraft was about one mile northwest of Tyee Spit, a frequently used, alternate landing site (water) for company aircraft when weather conditions preclude landing at Campbell River airport. Radar data indicate that, at 1906, after passing by Tyee Spit, the aircraft turned southbound and flew directly toward the airport. At about 2 1/2 miles from the airport, at 19:07:40, the aircraft turned right to a heading of approximately 310/ magnetic and flew in that general direction for about two minutes. The aircraft was on a track that was approximately parallel to the extended runway centre line, tracking outbound from the airport with the localizer and the Campbell River (YBL) non-directional beacon (NDB) to the left. The aircraft passed abeam the YBL NDB, which serves as the final approach fix (FAF) for the ILS approach to runway 11, and continued outbound. At 19:09:40, at about three miles outside the beacon, the aircraft turned left to a southerly heading toward the localizer and the YBL NDB. At 19:10:08, the pilot radioed that he was seven miles northwest; this was the last transmission received from the aircraft. At 19:10:25, radar contact was lost. The aircraft crashed into the northwest side of a 1,047-foot mountain at about the 860-foot level, in straight-and-level flight on a heading of 183/ magnetic. The pilot and seven of the passengers received fatal injuries. The two remaining passengers received serious injuries. The accident occurred at 1910 PDT during the hours of official daylight, at latitude 50/01'N, longitude 125/22'W. Official sunset in Campbell River was at 1908, and night was at 1940 PDT.

After takeoff from runway 29 at Campbell River Airport, while climbing to a height of about 200 feet, the twin engine aircraft initiated a right turn then lost altitude. The right wing struck trees and the aircraft crashed 100 metres further, some 1,350 metres past the runway end. The aircraft was destroyed and all three occupants were killed. It was reported that the pilot encountered engine problems prior to departure from Campbell River. When the right engine was started, witnesses heard a rumbling sound and the pilot shut the engine down. Shortly later, both engines were started again and the pilot taxied for departure. A first takeoff procedure was rejected and the pilot returned to the ramp to proceed tests on engine and propeller governors for about 18 minutes. During this time, it was observed that the right propeller stopped at least once while the left engine was running normally.

The twin engine aircraft departed Bella Coola on a scheduled service to Campbell River but failed to arrive at destination. SAR operations were initiated but eventually abandoned after few days as no trace of the aircraft nor the four occupants was found. The wreckage was never localized but it is believed the aircraft may have crashed in the Mt Waddington (4,016 meters high) area.

After takeoff from Port Hardy Airport, while climbing to a height of 100 feet, the twin engine aircraft stalled and crashed, bursting into flames. All nine occupants who were returning from a fishing camp were killed.

The twin engine airplane was returning to Smithers, carrying one pilot and six German citizens taking part to a hunting camp. While descending to Smithers, the aircraft crashed in unknown circumstances in an isolated area. SAR operations were initiated but eventually abandoned after four weeks as no trace of the aircraft nor the seven occupants was found.

The aircraft, with pilot and five passengers on board was being flown from Shoal Harbour to Campbell River. The flight was the scheduled service operated daily from Campbell River with several stops along the coast and returning to Campbell River. On arrival at Shoal Harbour dock area, the aircraft was docked and one passenger got on board. The aircraft taxied out for departure. The take-off was from the harbour in a south easterly direction. Shortly after the lift-off from the water, and at a height of 100 feet, the aircraft made a 180° turn to the left and dived into the ground at an angle of 30°. The crash site was just inside the tree line and approximately 50 feet from the water’s edge. The plane exploded on impact and burned. One passenger walked out from the wreckage seconds after the crash but died in hospital at Vancouver the same day. There were therefore no survivors.

The Convair approached Campbell River with the weather just above minima (2-2,5 miles visibility, 400 feet broken ceiling and wind 110 degrees with gusts to 20 mph. The crew positioned the aircraft visually 2nm south of the airfield on a westerly heading preparatory to attempting an approach to the west. This would involve a right hand circuit flown above the broken south and west of the airport employing DME and ADF information. This improvised approach was not in accordance with published approach procedures under instrument conditions. After flying for 1 minute and 40 seconds the crew turned right. A few seconds after the captain expressed concern, the Convair struck a 1047 feet hill at 932 feet.