Investigators from the BC Coroners Service have confirmed that three people — two men and a woman — died in the December 10th airplane crash on Gabriola Island.
Coroners are still attempting to confirm the identity of two of the deceased, but did confirm in a release that one of the passengers was a man in his 60s from Mill Bay.
This confirmation is in line with recent reports that the pilot was 61-year-old Alex Bahlsen, a grandson of the founder of Germany’s famous Bahlsen Biscuits.
The BC Coroners Service will not be releasing or confirming identities, according to their release.
See also: Several people dead after plane crash on Gabriola Island
In their daily incident report (named CADORS, or Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System), Transport Canada detailed the reason behind the crash as a “Mechanical/technical malfunction of aircraft.”
The airplane “reported an equipment issue and deviated from the approach prior to dropping off of radar,” the CADORS summary reads.
At around 6:30 p.m. on December 10th, the small plane crashed on the north-west corner of the Island.
Upon arrival, RCMP and BC Coroners Service confirmed that multiple plane passengers and crew died as a result of the crash.
There were no fatalities or injuries among people on the ground.
Witnesses of the crash have been offered counselling services.
