A float-plane pilot was not injured when his Cessna flipped into the waters of Maple Bay as it was landing Sunday afternoon.
The plane overturned after a gust of wind caused one of the wings to hit the water.
The Victoria Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre was sent to the area but by the time a coast guard vessel arrived, the pilot was already out of the plane and had been rescued by a nearby boat, said Capt. Don Lassond.
The pilot used underwater escape training, which helped him get out of the plane as it was filling with water, Lassond said.
“I’ve taken underwater egress training. I’ve got a full, proper safety shoulder harness set up and that’s probably what saved my life,” the pilot, David O’Hara, told CFAX 1070 radio.
There were several recreational boaters in the area who were able to help the pilot out of the water.
B.C. Ambulance assessed the pilot and North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP also responded.
The Transportation Safety Board was made aware of the incident.
A similar incident happened on Aug. 26, 2014 when a float plane was struck by crosswinds and flipped upsidedown. The pilot was wearing a shoulder harness and escaped through a window. He was rescued by a nearby boater.
In 2011, the Transportation Safety Board issued a report that recommended float planes should be equipped with door and windows that pop off easily after a crash, after a 2009 crash at Saturna Island that killed six people, including a baby.
The safety board found the single-engine Seair Seaplanes Beaver de Havilland, en route from Lyall Harbour on Saturna Island to Vancouver on Nov. 29, 2009, experienced an aerodynamic stall, before slamming into the water at Lyall Harbour.
The float plane quickly sank and six of the eight persons on board drowned. Four of the six had unfastened their seatbelts, but two of the four doors were jammed shut. The report also recommended that everyone in the plane wear life jackets.
— with files from Cindy E. Harnett
