One person was killed after a twin-engine aircraft carrying eight people made an emergency landing on a busy road in Prince George, British Columbia, and collided with two vehicles Thursday afternoon.
The aircraft came down on Foothills Boulevard on August 20 after its pilots reported trouble while approaching Prince George. RCMP confirmed the person who died was an occupant of one of the vehicles, not someone aboard the plane. The incident has prompted a federal aviation investigation.
What happened on Foothills Boulevard?
Prince George RCMP were notified at approximately 2:20 p.m. PT about the emergency landing on Foothills Boulevard, roughly 1.5 kilometres north of North Nechako Road and near Highland Drive. B.C. Emergency Health Services received a call around the same time.
Police said two vehicles were involved as the aircraft came down. Local reporting indicates the vehicles were travelling northbound while the plane was heading southbound.
A witness said one of the aircraft’s wings struck a pickup truck. Images from the scene showed a damaged pickup windshield, another damaged vehicle off the roadway and a detached aircraft propeller lying on Foothills Boulevard. The aircraft suffered significant damage to at least one wing but stopped with its main fuselage intact.
One dead and 10 patients assessed
RCMP confirmed Thursday evening that one person had died, identifying the victim as an occupant of one of the vehicles. The person’s identity had not been publicly released in the initial updates.
B.C. Emergency Health Services deployed two ambulances, two link and referral units, a paramedic supervisor and an area manager.
Paramedics assessed 10 patients and transported two people to hospital in stable condition. Initial police updates said the conditions of other vehicle occupants and those aboard the aircraft were still being established, so the hospital transports should not be treated as a final injury count.
Eight people were aboard the King Air
The Transportation Safety Board identified the aircraft as a Beech King Air 200, a twin-engine turboprop. Local reports identified its registration as C-GEDV and linked the aircraft to Sekani Air Ltd.
Eight people were reported aboard. Flight-tracking information cited by local media indicated the aircraft had departed Prince George earlier Thursday, travelled north toward the Kemess Creek area and was returning during the afternoon.
Authorities have not publicly established what went wrong aboard the aircraft. There is currently no confirmed finding of an engine failure, fuel problem or another specific mechanical malfunction.
Prince George Airport prepared for the aircraft
Authorities knew an emergency was developing before the plane reached Foothills Boulevard. RCMP said police had received information that the aircraft was in trouble shortly before it came down.
The Prince George Airport Authority said it was notified of an aircraft emergency and prepared to receive the plane. Airport emergency resources were placed on standby, but the aircraft did not reach the airport. Prince George Airport remained operational.
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Why the road landing was particularly dangerous
An emergency landing on an active city road creates hazards that are not present on an airport runway, including moving traffic, power lines, signs and intersections. Police said the situation would have been extremely difficult for motorists to anticipate.
Witnesses described the aircraft arriving suddenly among traffic. One motorist said the detached propeller came to rest only a short distance from his vehicle.
Other aviation emergencies can have very different outcomes when an aircraft reaches an airport. A recent Jet2 emergency landing following a suspected bird strike ended safely at Manchester Airport. In another incident, American Airlines Flight 1760 returned safely after a bird strike shortly after departing Myrtle Beach. Neither incident should be interpreted as having the same cause as the Prince George emergency.
TSB investigating as Foothills Boulevard remains closed
Foothills Boulevard was closed in both directions after the incident and was expected to remain closed overnight and into Friday while emergency crews and investigators worked at the scene.
RCMP asked people to avoid the area, saying onlookers were requiring police resources to be stationed at access points instead of supporting the investigation and other calls for service.
The Transportation Safety Board has deployed investigators to Prince George and will lead the aviation safety investigation.
Investigators will seek to determine what emergency developed aboard the King Air, why it could not reach the airport and the sequence that led to contact with the two vehicles. The identity of the person killed, the complete injury picture and the precise cause of the emergency remained unresolved in the initial reports.
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