A private flight that took off from Masset last June ended in a deadly crash off Vancouver Island when the floatplane pilot was trying to circle around for a second landing attempt.
The crash killed the pilot and one passenger, while another passenger was seriously hurt and a third had minor injuries.
The Transportation Safety Board released a report on the nearly year-old crash in May.
The two-hour flight took off from Masset Airport at 11:21 a.m. on June 20, 2023. It was heading for a remote cabin on the north shore of Tahsis Narrows — a stretch of water between the west coast of Vancouver Island and Nootka Island, about 110 km northwest of Tofino.
At first, when the pilot tried to bring the floatplane down onto the water near the cabin, both its floats hit the water at the same time, bouncing the plane upwards.
When the pilot levelled the plane and tried touching down a second time, the plane’s left float struck something—an object or a boat wake. The strike forced the plane up higher, about nine metres off the water, and caused it to veer to the right.
The pilot then tried to do a “go-round,” circling the floatplane up and around for another landing attempt.
But as the plane climbed over the hilly, forested land just beyond the cabin, the plane hit some trees and crashed into the ground, killing the pilot and passenger. The plane caught fire and was destroyed.
The Transportation Safety Board found the pilot was appropriately qualified and had landed once before at the same place, five days before the crash. Nothing seemed wrong with the plane before the crash.
At the time, the water had only small waves, and the wind was likely just 4 to 6 knots, although strong local downdrafts from the surrounding mountains were possible.
In its report, the safety board reminded floatplane pilots to circle at least three times before landing on the water to gauge the wind and check for obstacles. The board also noted that pilots may need more distance to do a “go-around” than they need to land.
The safety board also highlighted a guideline from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration that says it is often better for floatplane pilots to make a gentle climbing turn back over the water to gain altitude rather than climbing out over a shoreline with rising terrain.
The registered owner of the floatplane was listed as Cameron B. Robinson of Sherwood Park, Alberta.