Friends and families are mourning the loss of two Island men following Friday’s crash of an Air Nootka float plane near Tofino.
Six people were on board the Air Nootka float plane when it crashed Friday morning, shortly after the pilot had picked up five hikers.
The Gold River pilot and a passenger, Charles Turner of Courtenay, were killed. The name of the pilot has not been released. John Young, a Nanaimo school teacher, and another passenger suffered serious injuries, and two hikers were able to walk away.
Young, recovering in hospital from broken bones and burns, recalled Sunday his frantic efforts to save himself, a fellow passenger and the pilot after the float plane they were on crashed and caught fire.
Young, speaking from his Victoria hospital bed, said he was sitting beside the pilot of the de Havilland Beaver float plane when it encountered trees shortly after takeoff.
“We had just started going over land when a tree loomed up in front of us, and it must have been the right wing that hit it,” he said. “[The pilot] said: ‘Mayday, we’re going down,’ and I still thought: ‘This can’t be happening.’ ”
Young was with a group that had been hiking in Hesquiat Pensinula Provincial Park, and was being picked up to go to Gold River.
It was foggy and drizzling as the plane took off.
He said the pilot had announced the plane would go across to Barchester Bay, and from there up the outside coast of Hesquiat Pensinsula to Nootka Sound because of the low cloud ceiling.
But the plane crashed just a few minutes after takeoff, 60 kilometres from Tofino.
Young suffered several broken ribs, a broken sternum, third-degree burns to his left shin and a broken clavicle.
He said the plane appeared to hit several trees during the crash.
“I was jammed in, with my full seatbelt on. I couldn’t move. The guy behind me had been reaching for the emergency button, but then he stopped moving,” he said.
“Ten seconds after we hit the ground, there was a puff of flame in front of me. I couldn’t get the door open beside me. ...
“I pulled and pulled and couldn’t get loose, then I stopped pulling and squirmed, and I got out of the plane.
“I could see that the pilot door swung open, so I started to crawl over there.”
Young got out of the plane and heard a woman screaming for help.
He went around the front of the plane and tried to pull her out. Unable to move her, he grabbed part of the plane and it came loose, enabling him to free her.
He then tried to free the pilot.
“The flames were getting bigger and he was on fire and it seemed like he died,” Young said.
Young and the injured woman were able to get away from the plane and huddled together for warmth, clearing brush out of the way.
The two other survivors, who had been seated at the back, located them shortly after.
The death of Turner, a 63-year-old carpenter, has stunned his friends and family.
Turner was a quiet man who loved being in the mountains, said Lindsay Elms, a friend of 20 years.
Turner was a safe, confident climber, Elms said.
“Over the years, he’s led lots of trips with lots of people into the mountains. It’s that quiet, confident manner of his that people really respect.”
Turner was separated with three grown children. His girlfriend was on the same flight but was not injured, Elms said. Turner has a brother who lives in the Comox Valley.
He may have been reserved, but Turner could thoughtfully contribute to any conversation, Elms said.
Turner enjoyed being around people, sharing his knowledge, he said. He climbed mountains around the world, including the 7,000-metre-high Aconcagua in Argentina and 5,900-metre Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
“I know he achieved a lot of his [climbing] goals that he wanted to achieve,” Elms said.
Turner climbed nine mountains on Vancouver Island that are deemed “qualifiers” to have status in the lsland branch of the Alpine Club of Canada.
“I did quite a few trips with him and it’s nice to have someone along with the same goals as you,” Elms said.
“He would take people along who weren’t very fit but have it end up that they enjoyed the trip.”
