Floatplane that crashed was bound for Ole's Fishing Lodge, owners confirm - Action News
Home WebMail Tuesday, November 26, 2024, 09:27 AM | Calgary | -16.6°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
British Columbia

Floatplane that crashed was bound for Ole's Fishing Lodge, owners confirm

A floatplane that crashed into a remote island off the Central Coast of B.C. was bound for a family-run fishing lodge just a few kilometres away, the lodge's owners have confirmed.

4 people were killed, 5 others injured when plane crashed into Addenbroke Island Friday

Ole's Fishing Lodge sits in Hakai Pass, off B.C.'s Central Coast. A floatplane bound for the lodge crashed on July 26, 2019, killing four people and injuring five others. (Ole's Fishing Lodge/Facebook)

A floatplane that crashed into a remote island off the central coast of B.C. was bound for a family-run fishing lodge kilometres away, the lodge's owners have confirmed.

Four people were killed and five others were injuredwhen a SeairSeaplanes Caravan crashed into heavyforest onAddenbroke Island just after 11 a.m. on Friday. The weather was rainy at the time and visibility was poor.

The owners of Ole's Fishing Lodge confirmed the chartered Cessna 208had been headed their way from Vancouver.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with our guests and their families.We have no details to provide at this time to allow our guests and their families time to process this tragedy," owners Keith and Sari Olsen wrote in an emailed statement on Monday.

Photo of crash site on Addenbroke Island taken from CC-115 Buffalo, taken on the afternoon of Friday, July 26. (442 Transport and Rescue Squadron/Canadian Armed Forces)

The floating lodge is sheltered in abay off the northern end of Hecate Island alongHakai Pass.It's less than a two-hour flight from Vancouver and is a favourite destination for salmon and halibut fishing.

Seair runs charters direct to Ole's from its terminal in downtown Vancouver, usually beginning at 8 a.m. PT.The flight only had about 20 kilometres left in its 560-kilometre trip when it went down.

"Our thoughts are with those involved in the crash and their loved ones and we are devastated by this fatal accident," Seairsaid in a statement Friday.

The plane's pilot, Alan McBain, was among those killed. Seair said he'd been with the company for 15 years. McBain's sister, Nathalie Chambers, said he was a fastidious, safety-oriented career pilotwho was "born to fly."

None of the passengers have been identified. On Friday, health officials said two of the injured were flown to hospital in Vancouver in critical condition after the crash and three others were flown to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island in serious but stable condition.

The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. A statement from RCMP said it is not investigating because it is not criminal incident.

Ole's Fishing Lodge, located northwest of Addenbroke Island, was the confirmed destination for the Cessna 208. (CBC)