RCMP divers entered the water near Ahousat at first light Sunday to search for a float plane carrying four people that crashed just off the shore on a flight from Tofino. The passengers — Katrina Sam-English, her brother Hunter Sam, and their cousin Samantha Mattersdorfer — are believed to be from the small coastal First Nations community of Ahousat on Flores Island. The three young adults, all in their early 20s, along with the pilot, are presumed to have died aboard the Cessna 185. Witnesses say the aircraft went into a nosedive and hit the water Saturday, according to Wayne Bamford of the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Victoria. "There was a number of vessels on scene in short order and no one was witnessed getting out," he said. "There was no other debris other than an oil slick from the aircraft." Local residents started the rescue attempt quickly. There was one group already in the water when the plane crashed. Other soon joined in. Witnesses described a frantic effort to keep the plane afloat, but after 10 to 15 minutes, it sank, with the pontoons facing the sky. Both the Coast Guard and the military helped in the search, but strong currents made it hard for search and rescue divers to find the plane or those on board. The owner of Atleo River Air Service, which operated the aircraft, said the plane was well maintained and recently serviced and that the pilot was familiar with the route.
Again, this is another tragic accident that no body really knows why it happened. I give my condolences to the family and I really hope that they find the cause of the accident wether it be from a mechanical failure or just and accident in the cockpit. I really do hope they retrieve all the bodies and that the bodies get a proper burial.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/05/30/bc-float-plane-crash-ahousat.html
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