Four people walked away with only minor injuries after an incredible plane crash in North Vancouver on Sunday afternoon.
A small Cessna 172 Skyhawk crash landed into some bushes in an industrial area of North Vancouver’s waterfront near McKeen Avenue at approximately 4 p.m. local time.
Remarkably, three of the four passengers were uninjured from the crash while a fourth person may have suffered a broken arm, District of North Vancouver Assistant Fire Chief Jim Bonneville told CTV Vancouver on Sunday.
A spokesperson for the Transportation Safety Board Sophia Wistaff said the four-seater plane was travelling from Langley, B.C. to Tofino.
Investigators at the scene speculated that there may have been some kind of power loss. They said the pilot was likely aiming to land the aircraft in a nearby parking lot.
Bonneville said the plane appeared to have landed hard on its wheels and then “nosed in” to the gravel.
One of the plane’s wings was resting on telephone cable and guide wires, instead of power lines, which emergency crews were initially concerned about.
“It’s very fortunate. It could have been a lot worse,” Bonneville said. “I’m surprised there was no leaking fuel with the way it’s sitting.”
Authorities also said the plane’s passengers were lucky the barbed wire from the fence they struck didn’t cut into the cockpit where they were seated.
Investigators from the TSB are still working to determine the cause of the crash.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Nafeesa Karim
