Transportation Safety Board issues safety reminders after fatal B.C. plane crash

A report from the Transportation Safety Board says an investigation couldn't determine a specific cause in the fatal small plane crash in southeastern B.C. last year, but it has prompted some reminders for operators. Wreckage of a Piper PA-28 Cherokee aircraft, registration C-GGOR, is seen in a wooded area near Brisco, B.C., in an undated handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Transportation Safety Board of Canada, RCMP.

A report from the Transportation Safety Board says an investigation couldn't determine a specific cause of a fatal small plane crash in southeastern B.C. last year, but it has prompted some reminders for operators.

A witness near the community of Brisco, B.C., called 911 on Nov. 24, 2023, to say they had watched the Piper Cherokee nose dive into the ground, but it took searchers another 17 hours before they found the wreck and the dead pilot inside.

The board's report says there was an emergency locator transmitter on board but it had been turned off and the stall warning light appeared to have been on when the plane crashed.

It says the plane wasn't equipped with oxygen masks, which are required when flying over 10,000 feet for more than 30 minutes, but it wasn't clear how long the pilot flew above that altitude.

The pilot also often used 91-octane gasoline instead of aviation-grade fuel, but maintenance records show that modification to the aircraft's fuel system required to use the octane gas wasn't completed.

While none of those issues can be linked to the crash, the board says operators need to be reminded to comply with required maintenance, to have oxygen masks when operating above 10,000 feet and to make sure emergency transmitters are operating.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2024.