What happened
On a morning characterized by rain and low visibility, a de Havillandum DHC-2 floatplane, registered as CGPVB, departed from Hesquiat Lake in British Columbia. The flight, operated by Air Nootka Ltd., was intended to transport the pilot and five passengers to a water aerodrome base located near Gold River. At the time of departure, the cloud ceiling was approximately 400 feet, with visibility restricted to roughly 2.5 nautical miles.
While the aircraft was flying approximately 3 nautical miles west of the lake, over the Hesquiat Peninsula, it collided with the top of a tree at an altitude of about 800 feet. 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 individuals on board survived the initial impact, the pilot and one passenger succumbed to their injuries shortly after the accident.
Findings
Following the crash, an emergency locator transmitter operating on the 406 megahertz frequency sent out a brief signal. A search and rescue helicopter located the wreckage and successfully recovered the remaining survivors at approximately 1600 hours. The accident occurred during the flight phase of cruise under conditions of reduced visibility due to rain and low cloud ceilings.