CBC

Thu Nov 2, 8:16 am

Small aircraft crashes into Vancouver Harbour

A floatplane en route to Victoria from Vancouver crashed into Vancouver Harbour Wednesday.

More than a dozen passengers were rescued. There were no serious injuries.

An airline executive confirmed all 14 passengers escaped the accident with only minor injuries B mostly bumps and bruises.

A passenger aboard the West Coast Air flight, which was on a regularly scheduled flight, saw a fire near the plane's engine during takeoff and yelled to warn the pilot.

Another witness said an engine failed when the twin-engine Otter took off and one of the wings caught the water.

The plane then crashed into Burrard Inlet and one wing was ripped off.

Several boats in the area, including a passenger ferry, rushed to help.

Passengers from the downed plane escaped out the door and climbed onto the wing and pontoons.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), November 02, 2000