| Sourced from 5 independent sources · no points in dispute |
Head Topics, CTV News, Winnipeg Free Press, Prince George Citizen, and Castanet
Most key facts are confirmed by more than one independent source; a few details come from a single outlet.
8 key facts · 7 corroborated · none disputed
This summary is compiled from the independent sources listed above.
A fatal emergency landing on a Prince George roadway turned a Thursday afternoon drive into a crash scene after a small aircraft came down on Foothills Boulevard and collided with two vehicles.
One person died. The person killed was an occupant of one of the vehicles, not the aircraft. Eight people were on board the twin-engine Beech King Air 200 when it made the emergency landing.
Plane lands on Prince George road
Prince George RCMP confirmed the death after the aircraft came down on Foothills Boulevard. The road was closed after the crash and was expected to remain closed into Friday.
“Police are saddened to confirm that there has been one fatality in this incident, an occupant of one of the vehicles,” RCMP said in a statement quoted in the source reporting.
The aircraft struck two vehicles during the emergency landing. Cpl. Jennifer Cooper described the situation as sudden and difficult for people on the road to anticipate.
“We do know that two cars were also involved in this dynamic situation,” Cooper said. “It would have been impossible for drivers to necessarily predict and make emergency manoeuvres from this.”
Witnesses describe a chaotic scene
Witness accounts in the source reporting described a frightening, fast-moving crash scene on Foothills Boulevard.
Wes Zapotichny told the Prince George Citizen that he and his wife came upon the aftermath shortly after the emergency landing.
“There was a propeller lying in the middle of the road,” Zapotichny said.
Another witness, identified in the reporting as Arora, described how quickly the plane appeared on the roadway.
“Within a millisecond the plane comes on the road,” he said, adding that he felt fortunate his own vehicle was not struck. “It was just stopped like 10 feet ahead from my car. I am so lucky that the fan and the blades did not hit my car.”
The images described in the reporting showed the aircraft off to the side of the roadway, damaged vehicles nearby and debris on the road. The human impact, though, was made plain by the RCMP’s confirmation that someone in one of the vehicles had died.
Paramedics assessed 10 people
According to Head Topics, B.C. Emergency Health Services said paramedics assessed 10 people at the scene and transported two patients to hospital in stable condition.
“Two ambulances with primary care paramedics, two link and referral units, a paramedic supervisor, and an area manager responded to the scene,” BCEHS paramedic public information officer Brian Twaites said, according to that report.
RCMP had earlier said potential injuries to other vehicle occupants and those on board the plane were not yet known.
Road closed into Friday
Police urged the public to stay away from Foothills Boulevard as first responders and investigators worked at the scene.
“It removes valuable police resources from this investigation as well as the regular calls for service if RCMP must station police officers at every access point to Foothills Boulevard to keep the curious onlookers away, of which there have already been too many,” Cooper said.
“Please allow room for our first responders to work safely.”
The road closure was expected to last into Friday, forcing drivers to find another route through the area.
Safety board investigating landing
The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the emergency landing.
The central facts remain stark: a Beech King Air 200 carrying eight people made an emergency landing on a city road, struck two vehicles, and one person in a vehicle died. For Prince George, the investigation now begins around a scene that witnesses described in split-second terms, but whose consequences will last far longer.
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