British Columbia

The pilot encountered technical problems and decided to attempt an emergency landing in Quesnel. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair while the pilot, sole on board, was uninjured.

Flight 106 was a schedule service from Vancouver to Powell River with an intermediate stop at Sechelt. The flight to Sechelt was uneventful. While approaching Porpoise Bay at Sechelt, at an altitude of 200 feet, the twin engine airplane rolled to the right in an angle of 90° then nosed down and crashed on the east shore of the bay, about 50 meters from the water. The captain and a passenger were killed while 14 other occupants were injured, four of them seriously.

En route from Comox to Port Hardy, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to thick fog. The twin engine airplane struck tree tops and crashed on hilly terrain located in Blinkhorn Point, Victoria Island. Four passengers were killed while five other occupants were injured.

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 seaplane crashed in unknown circumstances in Prince Rupert. Three occupants were rescued while seven others were killed.

The pilot, sole on board, departed Stuart Island on a short flight to Quadra Island, located 39 km away. About five minutes after takeoff, the pilot lost control of the airplane that nosed down and crashed few hundred meters off Maurelle Island. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was killed.

While flying over mountainous terrain, the pilot realized that the summit was shrouded by clouds. He decided to turn back and initiated a turn to the left when he lost visual contact with the ground. The airplane struck the ground and crashed on a snow covered area. The pilot was seriously injured and the passenger, seating in the cabin, was killed. It was reported that the aircraft was equipped with one seat only and the passenger was seating on the ground, without a seat belt.

While approaching Ocean Falls on a flight from Bella Bella, weather conditions worsened with a limited visibility due to snow falls. At low height, the airplane struck the water surface and crashed in the Cousins Inlet. The pilot, sole on board, was rescued.

The airplane departed Dragon Lake on a charter flight to Isaac Lake located 65 miles to the east, carrying three passengers and a pilot. En route, he encountered poor weather conditions when the seaplane struck trees and crashed in flames in a wooded area located about 12 miles northeast of Quesnel. The aircraft was completely destroyed by fire and all four occupants were killed. At the time of the accident, the visibility was limited due to low clouds.

Twin Otter C-FAIV, operating as a scheduled VFR flight, departed Victoria Harbour at 1718LT with Vancouver Harbour water-aerodrome as destination. The estimated time en route was 20 minutes. The flight proceeded normally and reported by Active Pass at 2,000 feet. This altitude was maintained in order to cross the Vancouver Control Zone in accordance with standard procedure; once out of the control zone, a slow descent was begun towards Vancouver Harbour. Normal radio procedures were followed as the flight reported by standard visual reporting points. Just before joining final approach, the transmission, "AIV, Third Beach", was made and landing clearance was given to the flight by the Harbour Tower. The approach continued, and when the aircraft reached approximately 175 feet above the surface, nine ground witnesses heard a loud noise from the aircraft. Two surviving witnesses also heard a noise. Power was subsequently applied and C-FAIV yawed left, rolled in the same direction and plunged into the harbour in a left-wing and nose-down attitude, 2 500 feet from the intended landing area. An ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) tone was heard by the tower controller 54 seconds after the radio call at Third Beach. The controller called the aircraft several times but there was no response. The flight had been of 24 minutes duration. Both pilots and nine passengers were killed while two others were injured. The aircraft was destroyed.