Aircraft accident fatalities continue to decline in B.C.
The number of fatalities resulting from aircraft accidents in B.C. has dropped to among the lowest in a decade.
B.C. recorded 38 aircraft accidents last year, a 28 per cent decline over 2016. At the same time, there were 239 aircraft accidents across the country, a four per cent increase over 2016.
Those 38 accidents resulted in two deaths last year in B.C. (with four persons still missing), which compares with 32 nationally, including nine in Ontario and six in Quebec. Over the past decade, B.C. fatalities peaked at 26 in 2008, with 14 to 17 fatalities in each of the following five years, and three in 2014.
“There’s been a consistent decline,” confirmed Jason Kobi, acting regional manager for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, in Richmond. Several factors are at play, he said, including commercial airlines developing safety-management systems that proactively reduce the chances of accidents.
As well, safety technology continues to improve, while there’s been a decline in the amount of private aviation, which typically represents a “significant portion” of accidents each year. Baby boomer pilots may be retiring from flying, while fewer younger people are getting into aviation, perhaps due to costs. One exception involves foreign pilots coming to B.C. to train for commercial flying back home, Kobi said.
At the international level, airlines recorded zero accident deaths in commercial passenger jets last year, according to Dutch consulting firm To70 and the Aviation Safety Network, making 2017 the safest year on record for commercial air travel.
Flying in B.C. is considered challenging due to mountainous terrain and weather conditions. Two small aircraft that went missing in 2017 — one flying from Penticton to Edmonton, the other Cranbrook to Kamloops, each with two people on board — have yet to be found.
“Absolutely, the terrain and conditions in B.C. pose a number of significant challenges to aviation in general,” said Kobi, noting seaplanes flying up and down the coast face unique challenges.
Among B.C.’s air accidents last year:
Oct. 1 — A female died and a male was injured when an ASAP Avionics Services Ltd. Robinson R44 helicopter crashed just northwest of Campbell River Airport.
Aug. 1 — Two occupants were transported to hospital after a Van’s RV-6 aircraft crashed on a beach on Vargas Island northwest of Tofino.
July 15 — A pilot was seriously injured when a J.B. Air Eurocopter EC-130 B4 helicopter, being used for firefighting southwest of Williams Lake, crashed into a pond while lifting off with a full bucket of water.
June 30 — The pilot of a Quad City Challenger II advanced ultralight died near Salmon Arm when his aircraft suffered “partial engine power reduction” that led to a steep descent before one of the wings separated and the plane crashed.
June 11 — A pilot and three passengers on board a Cessna 172M flying from Tofino to Langley were injured due to a forced landing in an industrial area of North Vancouver. An inspection showed that the right wing tank was empty and the other had little fuel left.
May 12 — A Trillion Air Mooney M20R aircraft flying from Tofino-Long Beach to Chilliwack encountered control problems in bad weather and diverted to Victoria airport. During landing, the landing gear collapsed and the airport was closed for two hours. One of three persons on board was injured.
March 1 — A student pilot was flying a Kangook paramotor aircraft out of Surrey-King George Airport. While practising spiral approach descents with rapid loss of altitude to touch and go, the student misjudged the height above ground and the aircraft crashed on a beach in South Surrey. The pilot was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.
Jan. 19 — An instructor and student pilot were about 90 minutes out of Victoria airport on a Cessna 172S plane operated by Victoria Flying Club when they prepared for a short-field landing at Duncan. The plane touched down about one-third of the runway past the threshold, and struck trees and a power line.
The instructor suffered serious injuries, and the student minor injuries, while the plane was substantially damaged.