Conair water bomber crashes
Rescuers rushed to the scene of a plane crash on Okanagan Lake
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Updated: July 28, 2009 3:52 PM
The Abbotsford-based water bomber that crashed into Okanagan Lake on Saturday may have had its landing gear deployed.
The AT-802 Fire Boss, owned by Conair, an Abbotsford company specializing in aerial fire control products and services, was scooping water out of the lake while battling the Terrace Mountain fire around noon when it crashed, flipped and sank.
It was one of a number of planes the company has in the area to battle fires ripping through the Interior.
Witness Fraser Hall, also a pilot, was at Okanagan Lake filming the Conair planes fighting the fire burning in West Kelowna when he noticed the water bomber had its landing gear down, according to a CTV news report.
Hall can be heard exclaiming on his video, “He’s got his landing gear down ... Oh no! Don’t leave your landing gear down.”
Hall and his father then sped out with their boat to pull the pilot from the wreckage.
Soon after, the plane sank to the bottom of the lake.
It was a quite a nightmare to watch, said Hall.
The pilot, reported to have suffered minor injuries, was taken to Kelowna Hospital.
The Canadian Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
“There is some video out showing the aircraft with its landing gear down. In terms of the investigation as to why the plane crashed, that’s still ongoing and we’re not in a position to speculate one way or another,” said Rick Pedersen, vice-president of Conair.
– with files from CTV News
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