Pilot lucky to escape after crashing float plane on Comox Lake
According to witnesses, the plane hit the water hard and somersaulted before coming to a stop upside down
A pilot managed to escape with his life after his float plane crashed on Comox Lake on Vancouver Island Wednesday evening.
"There were several pleasure craft in the area that responded and the pilot was able to get himself out," said Comox Valley RCMP Const. Rob Gardner. "He was checked out by provincial ambulance service on scene."
Gardner said the man, who was the only person on board, did not go to hospital.
The small plane appeared to hit the water hard, skip and then submerge a wing and part of the nose before coming to a stop.
Witness Mike Slota watched the crash from a nearby beach while his girlfriend shot video.
"It bounced off the water, took a bit of a nose dive ... and then stops and begins to flip over and sink," said Slota. "The floats kept it afloat though."
"It looked like [the pilot] was fooling around ... like he meant to land and skip and then take off immediately," said Slota.
Photos taken in the aftermath of the crash show the plane floating upside down.
The Transportation Safety Board has taken over the investigation and will be attending the crash site today.