1 dead in seaplane crash near Port Hardy

One person is dead after a seaplane crashed near Port Hardy, B.C., on Wednesday, the B.C. Coroners Service says. 

The Transportation Safety Board told CBC News the plane went down in Warner Bay, a remote area located about 45 kilometres northeast of Port Hardy. 

Port Hardy RCMP say they were notified of the crash at about 7:50 p.m. PT Wednesday.

Three people were recovered, one of whom was dead, police said. 

Wilderness Seaplanes, which is based out of Port Hardy, said in a statement that one of its aircraft, a Cessna 185, was involved in an accident.

Operations manager Vince Crooks told CBC News there were two passengers and a pilot with about 30 years of experience flying around the West Coast onboard the aircraft. During the landing, he said, the plane flipped over. 

He said the pilot and a passenger were able to escape the plane, and tried to save the other passenger who was trapped inside the aircraft, but were unsuccessful. 

"Our pilot is very devastated about this," Crooks said in an interview with CBC News.

Crooks said the Canadian Coast Guard and search and rescue arrived on scene within an hour of the crash. 

The cause of the crash has not yet been identified, police say, adding that they've brought in special teams to investigate. 

In its statement, Wilderness Seaplanes said weather was not a factor in the crash and there was "no indication of mechanical failure."

"It appears to be an accident during an otherwise normal landing on water," the statement reads.