One person has died after a small plane crashed in a remote area on the west coast of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Island Saturday.
The B.C. Coroners Service confirmed they were notified of one fatality in the crash and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death.
The plane was headed to an airpark in Courtenay and was scheduled to land around 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Comox Valley RCMP were told that the plane was late around 4 p.m. and began contacting other Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»Island airports hoping to find the missing plane.
Victoria’s Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre began a search for the plane after receiving a call from RCMP around 4:30 p.m.
Search and rescue crews went out Saturday night but weren’t able to locate it, said Maj. Sandy Bourne, the centre’s duty public affairs officer. Crews on the ground found the crash site near Sydney Inlet Provincial Park, northwest of Tofino, on Sunday morning at about 9 a.m. and confirmed it was the missing plane.
RCMP officers have not yet reached the scene because of the area’s remoteness.
The Transportation Safety Board said the plane is a four-seat Cessna 172. The agency is trying to determine whether investigators will be able to reach the crash site, because the remote location makes access difficult. Investigators may have to wait until the plane can be moved to another location.
Police have not said how many people were on board or if there are survivors.
