Smithers RCMP have confirmed that one person survived and three killed in a small plane crash north of Smithers Landing Saturday morning.
A safety device, that tracks the Cessna 182’s location, provided the approximate location of the plane which was within the Babine River Corridor Provincial Park situated North West of Fort Babine, a small community on Babine Lake.
The remote location was forested, with rugged terrain. A multi-agency coordinated effort ensued based out of Smithers. Partners supporting the effort included the Smithers RCMP, Emergency Management BC, Joint Rescue Coordination Center, Bulkley Valley Search and Rescue (BVSAR), and the Provincial Ministry: Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations, and Rural Development which included the BC Wildfire Service.
A team of helicopters was deployed from Smithers. A conscious male passenger was seen outside the crash site, but due to the landscape the helicopter was unable to land. Instead, the helicopter performed a hover exit at a more distant location, allowing trained rescue personnel to exit the helicopter and make their way through the terrain, to the crash site. The other thee people on board did not survive the crash. The rescue operation was supported by members of the JRCC. They completed a long line recovery of the injured man, by their Cormorant helicopter. The patient was transported to medical care, and was reported to be in stable condition.
The recovery efforts, involving the three men who did not survive the crash, were completed by BVSAR in cooperation with the BC Coroners Service. The Smithers RCMP are continuing the investigation with the Transport Safety Board Investigative team, to establish the cause of the crash.