An investigation by the Transportation Safety Board has concluded that a small floatplane coming in near Tofino, B.C., either hit a boat wake or an object before slamming into trees on a second landing attempt, killing two people aboard.
The report says the pilot and a passenger were killed, while another passenger was seriously hurt and a third sustained minor injuries in the crash last June.
The Quest Kodiak 100 floatplane was destroyed by fire after the impact near Mizona Point on the Tahsis Inlet, a remote area around 300 kilometres northwest of Victoria, but the report says no issues were found with the aircraft’s equipment or maintenance.
“According to information gathered during the investigation, there was no indication that the pilot’s performance was affected by medical or physiological factors,” the report reads.
Coast guard, air rescue crews depart Tahsis on the west coast of Vancouver Island following a floatplane crash near the village that left two people dead and two injured.
The privately registered plane left Masset Airport on June 20, 2023, and the pilot was using instrument flight rules on the journey to a cabin near Tofino.
In its report, the TSB says that the pilot of the floatplane had approximately 250 flight hours on the floatplane, and around half of his landings were on water — though it noted most of his previous water-based takeoffs and landings occurred on lakes rather than the ocean.
While the report issued Wednesday says there was no weather information for the landing site, it says it’s possible that wind shears and downdrafts were present in the area at the time of the crash because of the mountainous terrain.
Village of Tahsis Mayor Martin Davis had said the crash occurred in a rugged and forested area in June 2023. Responders trying to reach the site had to cut off a lock to open a forest service road gate.
The TSB issued a safety message in its report on the crash, telling floatplane pilots to evaluate their landing sites for hazards, including water surface conditions and potential wind shears, and ensure that approach and departure paths are free of obstructions.