A pilot is reportedly OK after the small plane he was piloting crashed in Crescent Beach Monday afternoon.
Witnesses reported seeing the small plane, with apparent engine problems and trailing smoke, flying low over Crescent Beach before crashing.
Plane looked like it was about to crash at Crescent Beach @cbcnewsbc pic.twitter.com/N5e7Q021Nz
— Kathryn (@astroryn) October 30, 2023
Surrey RCMP and Surrey Fire Rescue Service both confirmed they responded to a report of a small plane crash near Blackie Spit in the 3100-block of McBride Avenue around 2:30 p.m.
“Due to the location, it was challenging to get to the plane and pilot,” Surrey Fire Rescue Service assistant chief of operations Rich Bodnark said.
Because the area is heavily forested and contains marshland, crews – five apparatus and 12 firefighters – had to stretch extra-long lengths of fire hose to put out the flames caused by the crash.
“The pilot was able to get himself out. My compliments to him… I’m sure he was trying to land in an area that had the least amount of population.”
Fire crews suppressed the fire and attended to the pilot, who suffered burn injuries to his hands and face, Bodnark said.
“The preliminary investigation indicates there was only one person on board, the pilot,” RCMP said in a release.
“The pilot has sustained minor injuries and has been transported to hospital. There was no other damage or injuries reported as a result of this incident.”
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) said in a release it is deploying a team of investigators to investigate the accident, which involved a privately registered Cessna C185 aircraft, to gather information and assess the occurrence.
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