TSB cites incomplete risk assessment and wind conditions in 2022 BC seaplane crash

The Transportation Safety Board concluded that limited knowledge of local wind conditions and a possibly incomplete risk assessment likely caused a pilot to lose control of his seaplane, killing three people on November 23, 2022, as the aircraft departed a logging camp in Strachan Bay on British Columbia’s central coast and was headed for Port Hardy, reaching only 30 metres above sea level before crashing into the water.

Investigators reported wind shear and mechanical turbulence at low altitudes during takeoff, and noted that the aircraft had several modifications for water operations and short‑distance takeoffs and landings, which the pilot may not have been aware of, affecting the plane’s handling.