New details are emerging about the pilot killed in a float plane crash off the B.C. coast that also claimed three other lives.
The Cessna 208 Caravan went down on Addenbroke Island, approximately 100 kilometres from Port Hardy, on Friday morning.
While five passengers survived and were rescued by the air force, four others, including pilot Al McBain, did not.
"Our thoughts are with everyone involved—with the families and their friends, " Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Vancouver Tuesday.
McBain had been flying for two decades. He spent 15 of those years in Seair float planes.
"He loved flying. It was what he lived for," his cousin, Tammy McBain, wrote. "He had told me … if he should pass while on duty, he died doing what he loved to do, which he said made him luckier than most."
By all measures, Friday's fatal flight was routine—destined for a vacation spot called Ole's Fishing Lodge.
The business told CTV News: "Our thoughts are prayers are with our guests and their families."
On Monday, investigators confirmed they'd finally reached the remote crash site.
Transportation Safety Board staff are now combing through the debris of the Cessna, examining its instruments and speaking to survivors in a complex process to determine what went wrong.
Meanwhile, those close to McBain are mourning his loss.
"My love for him will remain with me every day, as if he's walking beside me," Tammy wrote. "We truly lost and amazing pilot and a wonderful man."
With files from CTV News Vancouver's David Molko
