2 people from Ladysmith, BC identified as Gabriola plane crash victims
The BC Coroners Service says that they’ve identified all three victims who were involved in a fatal plane crash on Gabriola Island on December 10.
According to an emailed statement, the deceased include a 60-year-old male from Mill Bay, BC, and a male and female in their early 50s from Ladysmith, BC.
The Coroners Service says that the victims were identified through preliminary information collected at the scene, as well as follow-up investigation by coroners. The identity of the female descendent from Ladysmith is confirmed, although the identity of the male from Ladysmith is circumstantial and “subject to confirmation through DNA analysis and further testing.”
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The BC Coroners Service will not be releasing or confirming their identities.
The fatal plane crash took place on Tuesday, December 10 in a wooded residential area on Gabriola Island. First responders received reports shortly after 6 pm and it was later discovered that the small plane was a private flight that was travelling from Bishop, California to Nanaimo, British Columbia.
Members of the BC Emergency Health Service (BCEHS) and the Gabriola Island RCMP arrived on the scene first, and BC Coroners Service followed after responders confirmed fatalities.
An exact cause of the crash is still unconfirmed
According to a preliminary report released by Transport Canada and the Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System (CADORS), the reason behind the crash is believed to be an “equipment issue.”
The report says that the plane was en route to Nanaimo when it “reported an equipment issue and deviated from the approach prior to dropping off of radar.”
Chris Krepski, Communications Specialist with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), however, says that “as far as the TSB is concerned, it’s too early to determine a cause” of the crash.
“We’re going to look at all the mechanical and avionic compartments, as we do with all our investigations,” he tells Daily Hive in an interview. “We also need to look at the weather and other variables that caused the accident.”
“Overall, we’re still in the information gathering stage and there are no causes to come up yet.”
The TSB has yet to release further information.
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