Man in his 70s killed in plane crash near Tofino, B.C.
Officials have not confirmed how many people were aboard the Cessna 172
The person killed in a plane crash on the west coast of Vancouver Island on Saturday has been identified as a man in his 70s from the Comox Valley.
The BC Coroners Service confirmed the man's death in a statement Monday. No further information was provided as the investigation is ongoing.
The man was killed when a Cessna 172 crashed near Stewardson Inlet on Saturday, not far from Sydney Inlet Provincial Park near Tofino. RCMP said the aircraft was bound for Courtenay.
The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre was notified of the crash when the plane failed to arrive at its destination on Saturday. A rescue crew found the wreckage through the aircraft's beacon on Sunday morning.
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) said the plane in a remote location northwest of Tofino that will be difficult to access.
TSB was notified of the crash on Sunday around 10 a.m. PT and is continuing to gather information.
"The aircraft is in a very remote location so it's going to be really difficult to access the crash site," spokeswoman Sophie Wistaff said Monday.
"So we're determining whether we will be going up there, or if the wreckage will have to be moved for us to examine it."
RCMP unable to get to crash scene
Comox RCMP said officers were alerted to the crash when the plane failed to arrive at the Courtenay air park at its scheduled time of 1:30 p.m. Officers began contacting Vancouver Island airports, but couldn't find the missing plane.
A statement Sunday said RCMP members have not yet been able to get to the scene because of the remoteness of the crash site.
Officials have not yet confirmed how many people were on board.