What happened
In August 2013, a de Havilland DHC-2 (Beaver) floatplane, registered as C-GPVB, departed from Hesquiat Lake, British Columbia. The aircraft, operated by Air Nootka Ltd., was carrying a pilot and five passengers toward a water aerodrome base located near Gold River. At the time of departure, weather conditions were poor, with visibility limited to approximately 2.5 nautical miles due to rain and a cloud ceiling of roughly 400 feet.
While flying approximately three nautical miles west of the lake over the Hesquiat Peninsula, the aircraft struck the top of a tree at an altitude of about 800 feet above sea level. The impact caused the aircraft to crash, and a fire broke out at the wreckage site shortly after the plane came to rest. Although all 6 persons on board survived the initial impact, the pilot and one passenger passed away shortly after the accident.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight path and the environmental conditions present during the transit. Investigators established that the aircraft was operating at a low altitude during a period of restricted visibility and low cloud ceilings. The investigation also confirmed the transmission of a brief 406 megahertz emergency locator transmitter signal following the crash, which assisted in the recovery of the survivors by a search and rescue helicopter later that afternoon.