APRIL 23, 2015
A pilot who was
forced to land on a busy B.C. highway during rush hour had been warned that
there were mechanical issues with his plane in the weeks before the crash.
Paul Deane-Freeman,
49, was flying his ultralight aircraft over White Rock, B.C. on Wednesday
evening when he was forced to make the crash landing.
During the flight
practicing water landings and takeoffs, his plane lost engine power while at a
height of 365 metres (1,200 feet).
“It seized up. That was it,” he told CTV Vancouver on Thursday.
According to an
aviation company where the plane was stored, Deane-Freeman had been informed
that the plane had engine problems on April 11.
In a letter obtained
by CTV Vancouver and addressed to the pilot, the King George Aviation owners
had warned Deane-Freeman not to fly the plane until it had been inspected.
“The flying skills
that you have demonstrated to date are exceptional however your inability to
understand our point of view when it comes to safety really concerns us,” the
letter reads.
The letter says he
was made aware of mechanical problems with the plane when he purchased it, and
was told that certain repairs were needed before it was safe to fly.
“During the past two
weeks you have taken your aircraft onto the water on numerous occasions despite
our request for you to complete the above mentioned repairs and instructions.”
The letter says the
company had arranged for an expert to meet with him to help with his water
landings, but they chose to cancel the visit when they realized the plane had
not been repaired.
“We wish to formally
express our disappointment and highlight once more the extremely high risk of
having a serious accident.”
Deane-Freeman told CTV News Channel later on Thursday that he had never
received the letter, and was not aware of any mechanical problems with the
plane.
"It was running
good, otherwise I wouldn't have taken off," Deane-Freeman said.
He said the plane’s
engine stopped while he flew over a group of trees, shortly before 6:30 p.m. He
made a mayday call, then was forced to make a split-second decision: to land on
Highway 91 that was filled with rush-hour traffic.
Deane-Freeman
managed to bring his small plane down over the southbound lanes of Highway 91,
between 72nd and 64th Avenues.
“I thought, ‘Oh no,
not here. This is the worst place for this to happen,’” he said.
“I was thinking
about the cars. I didn’t want to get run over by a semi-truck or get into a
head-on collision.”
The plane barely
cleared the treetops and clipped a speed-limit sign with its wing before coming
to a rest against the concrete median. The entire ordeal took less than two
minutes, and he managed to land the plane without hitting any cars.
Deane-Freeman was
transported to hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, and was
released Thursday morning. He told CTV News Channel later on Thursday that he
fractured his C12 vertebrae.
“It was extremely
painful,” Deane-Freeman said, but added that he knew the crash could have been
much worse.
“I feel pretty
lucky, considering that I got the plane as far as I did, and forced it over the
treetops,” he said.
“It was pretty
amazing.”
No one on the ground
was injured in the crash landing.
Deane-Freeman said
became a pilot in 2001, but took a break from flying for several years. He got
his current license a year ago, and had been flying the plane he was in on
Wednesday for the last four months.
Deane-Freeman said
he made the mistake of purchasing the aircraft without knowing its history. That is a very big mistake, bud.
"I had no
documentation … the journey log wasn't filled out at all," Deane-Freeman.
Despite the crash,
he said he plans to fly again as soon as he’s repaired the small plane
Source: http://www.ctvnews.ca
Date:
|
22-APR-2015
|
Time:
|
18:15
|
Type:
|
Buccaneer II
|
Owner/operator:
|
Private
|
Registration:
|
C-IJFV
|
C/n / msn:
|
001
|
Fatalities:
|
Fatalities: 0 /
Occupants: 1
|
Other fatalities:
|
0
|
Airplane damage:
|
Minor
|
Location:
|
NE of Delta,
southeast Surrey, BC -
Canada
|
Phase:
|
Landing
|
Nature:
|
Unknown
|
Departure airport:
|
Surrey/King George
Airpark (CSK8)
|
Destination
airport:
|
Narrative:
The aircraft force landed to a major roadway in southwest Surrey, British Columbia. The amphibious seaplane sustained minor damage and the sole pilot onboard received minor injuries..
The aircraft force landed to a major roadway in southwest Surrey, British Columbia. The amphibious seaplane sustained minor damage and the sole pilot onboard received minor injuries..
Sources:
http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=175615
http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/britishcolumbia/story/1.3045037
http://www.leaderpost.com/news/metro/Small+plane+crash+lands+Delta+highway/10995703/story.html
http://ckom.com/content/plane-crash-closes-two-lanes-bc-highway
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/small-plane-makes-hard-landing-on-highway-91-in-delta-1.3045037
http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/2/CCARCS-RIACC/ADet.aspx?id=519691&rfr=RchAvc.aspx
http://www.cbc.ca/m/touch/canada/britishcolumbia/story/1.3045037
http://www.leaderpost.com/news/metro/Small+plane+crash+lands+Delta+highway/10995703/story.html
http://ckom.com/content/plane-crash-closes-two-lanes-bc-highway
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/small-plane-makes-hard-landing-on-highway-91-in-delta-1.3045037
http://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/2/CCARCS-RIACC/ADet.aspx?id=519691&rfr=RchAvc.aspx