RCMP confirm 3 people on board float plane that crashed

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RCMP confirm 3 people on board float plane that crashed near Little Grand Rapids, Man.

Manitoba RCMP have confirmed three people were on board a float plane that crashed Saturday near Little Grand Rapids, Man.

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Underwater recovery team to continue search Sunday

 

Rachel Bergen · CBC News · Posted: Oct 26, 2019 12:13 PM CT | Last Updated: 17 minutes ago

The RCMP has confirmed wreckage of a plane has been found on Family Lake near Little Grand Rapids, Man. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Manitoba RCMP have confirmed three people were on board a float plane that crashed Saturday near Little Grand Rapids, Man.

In a release Saturday afternoon, RCMP said plane debris has been located in Family Lake. Earlier in the day, police said witnesses saw a the plane clip a tree before going into the lake.

A spokesperson from Blue Water Aviation Services, an air charter service out of Pine Falls, Man., confirmed to CBC News a float plane from their fleet went down, but wouldn't make any other comment.

 

 

Little Grand Rapids is located about 270 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. (CBC)

RCMP search and rescue and underwater recovery teams are on the scene, as well as a Royal Canadian Air Force plane from 435 Squadron in Winnipeg. The RCMP said its underwater recovery team will continue the search Sunday.

Angel Compton lives on Little Grand Rapids First Nation and saw the crash while she was having breakfast.

"We were just having coffee and looked out the window and there was a plane and it looked to be making a really strange turn and all of a sudden the wing fell off one side and then it started to go down," she explained.

"I ran to the porch and looked outside and saw it go down behind the trees and then I heard a loud bang."

CBC News reached out to RCMP for more details, but didn't immediately get a response.

Little Grand Rapids is nearly 270 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

Blue Water Aviation is a family owned and operated air charter service based in Silver Falls, MB. We operate DeHavilland  GE Turbine Otters, a Piper Navajo, and a Cessna 185. Our air service runs year round with float operations in the summer and wheel/ski operations in the winter. We service commercial outfitters, private cabins, and offer freight service to remote northern communities. Other flight operations include wild rice harvest, moose hunts, canoe charters and wildlife surveys. We also have a full service aircraft maintenance facility operated under Winnipeg River Maintenance. A 60′ x 70′ heated hanger is available for commercial and private light aircraft maintenance. We have several licensed mechanics on staff to provide a wide range of services from annual inspections to aircraft recovery and overhaul. A 2575 ft. grass runway is accessible year round with 100LL and Jet A fuel available. Besides our base in Silver Falls we also operate a sub-base out of Bissett, MB.

 

[Bobcaygeon]

Unofficial reports are that it was a single otter and it may have come apart in flight. FWIW