Three rescued in float plane crash

SECHELT — Sunshine Coast resident Ian Bolden said he was out paddling on Davis Bay Tuesday when he watched a float plane circle in the sky, dip low toward the water, turn into the wind and disappear in a big splash.

Bolden hustled back to shore to report the crash and said by the time he was done, rescue crews were already circling the area.

Officials say three people were aboard the plane when it went down Tuesday afternoon and all were taken to hospital with minor injuries. Bolden said he watched a tug boat hauling gravel near the crash assist in the rescue.

“It cut its barge free and blasted out to where the crash site was and picked up the people, who were then transferred to the coast guard hovercraft, which brought them to shore just down the beach from us,” he said. “They appeared to be in reasonably good condition.”

They were walking with the support of rescuers, he added.

It’s a high-traffic area for sea planes and Bolden said he has seen a few scary landings, including one where a plane appeared to lose its engine power and glide safely down to the water.

He could not tell if the aircraft that crashed Tuesday was commercial or private and officials could not confirm that immediately either. The plane’s occupants were taken to shore in Sechelt, where Emergency Health Services staged three paramedic ground units.

RCMP Const. Karen Whitby said they appeared to have only “bumps and bruises,” but were taken to the local hospital for further assessment. Emergency Health Services confirmed their injuries were “minor.”

The Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre said several rescuers responded to the incident, including crews from the Navy, Transport Canada, Canadian Coast Guard and Vancouver Fire Rescue.

It said the aircraft has sunk.

The case is being handed to the Transportation Safety Board for possible investigation, Whitby said.

In a separate incident on Friday, rescue crews found four people dead and five injured after a float plane crashed on a remote island on B.C.’s central coast.

The BC Coroners Service issued a release Tuesday saying the three passengers killed were visiting B.C.

The men, ranging in age from their 40s to their 70s, were from South Carolina, Washington state and Germany.

The pilot, Al McBain of Vancouver, was identified by a family member.