Two pilots dead in Richmond plane crash

Saturday, July 11, 2009

A plane, carrying blood donations, crashed in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada on Thursday night. The plane, a twin engine PA-31 Piper Navajo departed from Victoria, when it nosedived into a parking lot during its final approach to Vancouver International Airport shortly after 10:00 p.m. PDT (UTC-7).

Witnesses report the plane flying unusually low prior to it crashing and bursting into flames by Bridgeport Road, behind a large Ikea store.

"The plane engine sounded real low, it came almost straight down," according to The Vancouver Sun who asked witness Darren Van Leeuwen. "The flames shot up 100 feet or more."

Both of the pilots on-board were killed, it not yet known if there were any other passengers. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Peter German stated that it was very lucky that nobody on the ground was killed.

The cause of the crash is under federal investigation.

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Sources

Larry Pynn and Kim Bolan. "Fatal plane crash prompts Richmond firm to temporarily suspend flights" — The Vancouver Sun, July 10, 2009
Ian Bailey. "Wake Turbulence Probed in B.C. plane crash" — The Globe and Mail, July 10, 2009
Kim Bolan, Scott Neufield and Liam Ford. "Plane was on fire before it hit the ground" — The Vancouver Sun, July 10, 2009

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