Two dead, two rescued after plane crash near Tahsis

 Two people have died and two others have been rescued after a small plane crash near the Tahsis Inlet, northwest of Tofino.

At approximately 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, Mounties were notified of the crash near Mizona Point, according to Nootka Sound RCMP.

Initial information indicated the aircraft, a Quest Kodiak 100, was occupied by four people flying from Masset to Tofino.

Flight records show the privately registered single-engine turboprop float plane departed at 11:21 a.m. An emergency locator beacon was activated, and two coast guard vessels were seen leaving Tahsis within minutes of the crash. Then, a cormorant helicopter from 19 Wing Comox also arrived.

Two passengers died on scene, and two others were transported to CFB Comox by Joint Rescue Coordination Centre and Canadian Armed Forces personnel.

BC Emergency Health Services then transported them to the hospital with injuries. The severity of their injuries is unknown.

They were very fast, the response time for everything was incredible,” said Allison Stiglitz, who saw the plume of smoke.

“Ah yeah, I don’t know many details about it, but I’m sure it’s sad for everyone that’s involved so,” said Lawrence Klingler, who also saw the smoke.

According to the Canadian Civil Aircraft Register, the plane’s registered owner is Cameron Robinson of Sherwood Park, Alberta.

At first, Stiglitz thought it was a wildfire, so she alerted authorities.

“I was taking my nephew for a hike, and we came around the corner here and we saw the smoke, so we just parked up there and called it in,” she added.

RCMP note the crash ignited a forest fire near Mozino Point. The BC Wildfire Service dashboard had the fire listed at 0.04 hectares, and it’s now classified as under control, which means it shouldn’t spread further.

Mounties are working alongside the Transportation Safety Board, and the BC Coroners Service to determine the cause of the incident.

It’s unknown who was on the plane when it went down.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Nootka Sound RCMP at 250-283-2227.