2 people rescued after float plane crash off Lasqueti Island, B.C.
Al Bajec, owner of Lasqueti Island Hotel and Pub, was making coffee just after 9 a.m. when he says he heard the float plane coming in.
The plane, which Bajec believes belongs to Telus, comes every Thursday to drop off a couple of workers on the island, which is located about 70 kilometres northwest of Vancouver. Bajec said that on Thursday, it appeared to be coming in at a lower angle, but was otherwise normal, with relatively calm waters.
"When it hit the water, it just went right in the water and just flipped," he said, describing the plane flipping over its front.
Bajec said he and a friend rushed down to the dock and got in his boat, while another friend who was set to go fishing was already on the water.
The boat that was already on the water got to the plane first and pulled the pilot and passenger, who had already escaped the submerged plane, out of the sea.
"They have no scratch or nothing. They just have a little bit of hurting on their eyes because of the gas on the water, but that's it. The rest — everything's fine. They're in good shape," said Bajec.
He said he used his boat to pull the upside-down plane to the dock, where he tied it up.
According to Capt. Pedram Mohyeddin with Maritime Forces Pacific, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria, got a report a little after 9 a.m. that a float plane had overturned. Two vessels were deployed — RCMSAR 59 based in Deep Bay on Vancouver Island and a Canadian Coast Guard Motor Life Boat based at the French Creek station in Parksville. A Cormorant helicopter was also deployed from Comox.
Mohyeddin said when the crews arrived in False Bay, civilians had already rescued the two people, who were brought back to Parksville on the coast guard boat.
B.C. Emergency Health Services said an air ambulance was sent to Lasqueti Island, but it ultimately wasn't required.
Telus confirmed by email that an accident occurred, and that the pilot and passenger were unharmed. The company spokesperson said Telus was investigating the incident, but didn't respond to follow-up questions from CBC News to clarify whether the company owned the plane and what sort of work was being done on the island.
The federal Transportation Safety Board confirmed it had been notified of the crash, but hadn't determined on Thursday whether a full investigation would be launched, saying there were no plans to deploy investigators to Lasqueti Island.
Bajec said there appeared to be spilled fuel in the spot where the plane flipped, but he didn't smell it around the dock where it was tied up. He said spill equipment had been put in the water around the plane.
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