Couple killed in Gabriola Island plane crash were friends of pilot and returning from vacation together

Allan and Katheryn Boudreau, the couple killed one week ago when the plane they were in crashed on Gabriola Island, B.C., were friends with pilot Alex Bahlsen, and the three were all returning from a vacation together in Mexico, according to a family friend.

Allan Boudreau was a licensed pilot with years of flying experience himself — and owned two planes, one a float plane, according to Gwen Jahelka, a friend of the couple's for 15 years.

She said Boudreau was working towards his commercial pilot's licence and flew out of Nanaimo, B.C.'s Cassidy Airport.

"That was his latest passion," said Jahelka. "He met Alex through that need for someone to, kind of, apprentice with."

Boudreau and Bahslen quickly became friends after meeting in the spring. The men and their wives planned a holiday together in Mexico.

"The whole idea was 'let's do a longer flight together,'" said Jahelka.

 Jahelka said Bahlsen's wife stayed behind in Mexico at the end of the vacation, spared from the fateful flight.

Bahlsen, 62, and the Boudreaus, both 53 years old, were killed in the plane crash on Gabriola Island on Tuesday, which happened after the Nanaimo Airport received a report of an "equipment issue," a preliminary report by Nav Canada said.

The aircraft hit the ground with such force that investigators struggled to even verify the plane's registration, according to the Transportation Safety Board (TSB). 

The TSB has confirmed the plane was on a private pleasure flight that had taken off from Bishop, Calif., and was headed to Nanaimo, B.C. 

Aviation experts say the evidence suggests there was some kind of mechanical or technical trouble before the plane could land.

The Boudreaus lived in Saltair, B.C., 30 kilometres south of Nanaimo. They were originally from Ontario, according to Jahelka.

The couple owned Island Hothouse Farm in Ladysmith, B.C., which supplies produce to Vancouver Island. They had sold the business and were enjoying retirement when the crash occurred.

"Kathryn and I would go on lots of walks, Bill and Al (Jahelka's husband) would go golfing," she said. 

The two couples enjoyed a holiday together in Mexico a year ago, but flew in commercial aircraft to and from their destination.

Jahelka says her friends were part of a tight knit neighborhood group of five couples who frequently socialized together. 

The Boudreaus leave behind their three children, Jeffrey, 28, Bridget, 25, and Rae, 23.

"The family is holding up the best they can," said Jahelka. "They are surrounded with family and friends who are supporting them in every way possible."