Plane crashes as fatal storm buffets coast
Last updated Mar 9 2006 06:55 PM PST
CBC News One pilot died and another was seriously injured when a small cargo plane crashed while landing at Powell River during the late-winter storm that blasted southwestern B.C. on Wednesday.
The twin-engine Piper Chieftan belonging to Orca Airways overshot the runway and crashed into a ravine just before 5 p.m. while trying to land on a flight from Vancouver.
There were no passengers on board.
There were strong winds at the time of the crash. And Transportation Safety Board spokesperson Bill Yearwood says investigators will look into whether the storm was a factor.
"We will try to get information on radar data, on weather, voice communication etc., to try and determine the aircraft profile before landing," he said.
Last Updated Thu, 09 Mar 2006 08:07:45 EST
CBC NewsAn unusual late-winter storm brought high winds, heavy rains and snow to southern British Columbia on Wednesday, and is also being linked to the crash of a small plane.
Officials say high winds may have played a role in the failed landing of a twin engine cargo plane in Powell River, about 145 kilometres north of Vancouver. The pilot was killed and another person was seriously injured.
Transportation Safety Board member Bill Yearwood says investigators will look into whether the storm was a factor in the accident.
"We will try to get information on radar data, on weather, voice communication ... to try and determine the aircraft profile before landing," he said.
The incident occurred as a frontal system came in off the Pacific, bringing winds, heavy rain and snow to parts of the lower mainland.
Environment Canada had predicted up to 40 centimetres of snow along parts of the Coquihalla Highway, which runs from Hope north to Kamloops.
Up to four centimetres of snow fell in Burnaby, while people living in parts of Vancouver's North Shore and Coquitlam also received snow. Officials at Burnaby's Simon Fraser University cancelled afternoon classes.
High winds caused problems around the province's south coast, with a wind warning in effect until midnight local time. Gusts at the Vancouver International Airport reached 55 km/h.
Downed branches on power lines cut electricity to about 15,000 customers, said B.C. Hydro.
"We didn't ... have the winds materialize the way they were forecast to, so fortunately only a few thousand customers ... are still without power," said spokesperson Elisha Moreno.
B.C. Ferries did cancel some trips yesterday afternoon, but most were back on schedule by the evening.
The storm also dumped heavy rain in some areas, bringing more than 50 millimetres to North Vancouver.
Small plane crashes - takes one life
RCMP Staff Sergeant Larry Misner says the plane was attempting to land at the Powell River Airport last night when it ran off the runway and ended up in a ravine.
Misner says two pilots were on board at the time. He says one of the pilots died at the scene and the other was taken to hospital.
The Orca Airways cargo flight originated in Vancouver and would have been buffeted by a windstorm that pounded much of the flight path yesterday.
The Transportation Safety Board has sent two investigators to the site.