Pacific Coastal Airlines - PCA

Grumman G-21A Goose

At 0708 Pacific daylight time, the Pacific Coastal Airlines G-21A amphibian (registration C-GPCD, serial number B76) operating as a charter flight departed Port Hardy Airport, British Columbia, on a visual flight rules flight to Chamiss Bay, British Columbia. At 0849 and again at 0908, the flight follower attempted to contact the tugboat meeting the aircraft at Chamiss Bay by radiotelephone but was unsuccessful. At 0953, the flight follower reported the aircraft overdue to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria, British Columbia, and an aerial search was initiated. A search and rescue aircraft located the wreckage on a hillside near Alice Lake, approximately 14 nautical miles from its departure point. A post-crash fire had ignited. The emergency locator transmitter had been destroyed in the crash and did not transmit. The accident happened at about 0722. Of the seven occupants, the pilot and four passengers were fatally injured, one passenger suffered serious injuries, while another suffered minor injuries. The two survivors were evacuated from the accident site at approximately 1610.

De Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter

The captain, first officer, and two passengers departed from the Fish Egg Inlet logging camp, located 56 nautical miles (nm) north of Port Hardy, British Columbia, for a 16 nm visual flight rules (VFR) flight to Pruth Bay. This was the second leg of a flight which had originated at Port Hardy. The first officer, who occupied the left pilot seat and was handling the controls, taxied the aircraft a short distance away from the dock and took off. The captain occupied the right pilot seat. As the aircraft climbed through 100 feet, and just as the flaps were retracting, the aircraft pitched up violently and stalled. The pilots were unable to regain control of the aircraft, and it crashed into the water about 100 feet from the shore and sank immediately. The captain, who sustained serious injuries from the crash, escaped from the wreckage and swam to shore. The first officer and the two passengers remained in the aircraft and drowned. When the aircraft failed to arrive at Pruth Bay, personnel from Pacific Coastal Airlines (the company) notified the Rescue Coordination Centre and started their own search. A search pilot spotted debris in the water near the logging camp at about 1430 Pacific daylight saving time (PDT) that day. He landed to investigate, found the captain on the shore nearby, and transported him to the Port Hardy hospital. The accident occurred during daylight hours at approximately 1148 PDT, at latitude 51°36'N and longitude 127°41'W. There were no witnesses, other than the aircraft captain, to this accident.

Grumman G-21A Goose

While taking off from the bay at Rivers Inlet, the seaplane was caught by strong winds, causing a wing to hit the water surface. The aircraft went out of control and came to rest. All seven occupants were uninjured while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.

Britten-Norman Islander

En route from Comox to Port Hardy, the pilot encountered poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to thick fog. The twin engine airplane struck tree tops and crashed on hilly terrain located in Blinkhorn Point, Victoria Island. Four passengers were killed while five other occupants were injured.