WATCH: A pilot was able to walk away unharmed after his plane made a hard landing in the Cowichan Valley. The plane was arriving at a private airstrip at the edge of Lake Quamicham this morning when it happened. Kendall Hanson reports.
It was a perfect day for flying that took a horrible turn for a Sunshine Coast pilot coming in for a landing in the Cowichan Valley.
First responders raced to the private airstrip, at the edge of Lake Quamichan, after hearing a plane had crashed with one person onboard shortly after 10 a.m. Friday.
Upon arrival they learned the pilot was fine, the plane was not.
“It’s really unfortunate because everybody puts a lot of work into their planes to keep them really nice and safe,” said Jim Embury, another pilot who uses the same airstrip. “Things just break sometimes.”
Fire crews are ready in case of any fuel sparks as they move the plane for closer inspection.
The airstrip’s owner says the pilot had flown in from Sechelt several times in the past and the winds today were calm as the pilot arrived to visit a friend.
The pilot told CHEK News he miscalculated his landing and took a hard bounce up before coming down hard again, and that’s when part of the undercarriage snapped. The plane veered to one side hitting a metal and cement gate which caused most of the damage.
“I think that plane is going to be in the repair shop for a while,” said Embury.
While the pilot was able to walk away, he says the damage to the plane is a tough loss to take. He built the “Bushmaster” and registered it only five years ago. Now he’ll face the tough decision on whether to rebuild.
Kendall Hanson
