National

Pilots safe as B.C. plane crashes in Australia

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 06 Feb, 2023 04:56 PM

PORT ALBERNI, B.C. - A Boeing 737 air tanker owned by a British Columbia company has crashed in Western Australia while on deployment to a fire.

Coulson Aviation, based in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, says in a statement that both pilots walked away from the accident and have been medically assessed.

The statement says the company is offering all the support it can to its local and international crews and is grateful to its firefighting and aviation industry colleagues in Australia.

Coulson announced last month that it had been awarded a contract to provide its Boeing 737 FireLiner, designated tanker 139, as Australia's new large air tanker.

At the time, the company said the state-of-the-art aircraft was capable of dropping more than 15,000 litres of retardant or water at flow rates of up to 11,000 litres per second.

While it's unclear what caused the crash, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. says the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau are conducting separate investigations into the crash.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

B.C. forecasts surplus, improved fiscal outlook

Finance Minister Selina Robinson says preliminary financial numbers for the first three months of 2022-23 show the province is in a strong position despite ongoing global economic risks. The quarterly report Robinson posted today also indicates financial improvements over the next three years, but includes forecasts of budget deficits for two of the three years.

B.C. forecasts surplus, improved fiscal outlook

Pierre Poilievre meets with Conservative caucus

The longtime MP cruised to the opposition leader's office with a blowout victory that saw him capture nearly all of the country's 338 ridings and nearly reach the 70 per cent support mark from party members.

Pierre Poilievre meets with Conservative caucus

Liberals say economy, inflation the focus for fall

Rachel Bendayan, the parliamentary secretary to the associate finance minister, says MPs all heard very clearly from constituents over the summer break just how difficult it has become to keep paying the bills. Fighting inflation is also politically critical for the Liberals with new Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre maintaining his biting criticism of the government over inflation.

Liberals say economy, inflation the focus for fall

Canada to be 'prominent' at events mourning Queen

The late queen's coffin left Balmoral Castle in Scotland on Sunday, where it was driven by hearse to the Scottish capital of Edinburgh. It will be flown to London on Tuesday, where it will eventually lie in state for the public to say their goodbyes in the four days leading up to Monday's funeral.

Canada to be 'prominent' at events mourning Queen

Female pedestrian injured in Surrey hit-and-run

Police were called to King George Blvd near 72 Ave at about 9 p.m. Sunday. Officers say a silver sedan heading south on King George struck a woman who was crossing the street between intersections.

Female pedestrian injured in Surrey hit-and-run

Wildfire smoke continues to blanket parts of B.C.

The federal government's air quality index shows areas with the highest levels of potentially dangerous wood smoke include Cranbrook and Castelgar in southeastern B.C., the eastern Fraser Valley and the communities of Whistler and Squamish.