Gabriola plane crash report expected soon

An investigation report on a plane crash on Gabriola Island that killed three people is expected to be released in the next few weeks, says the Transportation Safety Board.

On Dec. 10, 2019, a small private twin-engine propeller aircraft crashed in a wooded area on the northwest corner of Gabriola, east of Nanaimo, killing pilot Alex Bahlsen, 62, of Mill Bay, as well as Saltair residents Allan and Katheryn Boudreau, both 53. The plane had flown from Bishop, California, and was approaching Nanaimo Airport when it crashed.

The board has said the pilot reported an equipment problem as he tried to land. Witnesses said the plane appeared to be in trouble and entered a spiral before crashing.

The crash was one of 226 air accidents reported to the safety board in 2019, a 12 per cent increase from the previous year, according to the board, which this week released its 2019 annual statistics for the air, marine, pipeline and rail sectors.

Of the air accidents, 78 per cent involved fixed-wing, powered airplanes, 12 per cent involved helicopters, eight per cent involved ultralights and two per cent involved other types of aircraft.

For Canadian-registered aircraft, Ontario had the highest number of air crashes in 2019 at 45, followed by Quebec with 41, B.C. with 36 and Alberta with 27.

Thirty-three air accidents last year involved fatalities, resulting in 70 deaths — a large increase from 2018, which saw 23 fatal accidents resulting in 38 deaths.