Plane that crashed into B.C. river hit power lines

A Transportation Safety Board report says a small plane that vanished in British Columbia's Fraser River last June hit a power line before sinking into the river.

The Cessna 172M left Boundary Bay Airport on June 6 with two men aboard, an instructor and his student.

The report says the plane was flying in Abbotsford, B.C., along the river at a low altitude and was just 38 metres above the water when it clipped a power line.

Witnesses who called 911 reported seeing a low-flying plane, a splash and then the partially submerged plane on the river.

When emergency responders arrived, the plane had disappeared and a search over several months using divers, underwater imaging and other equipment has found no trace of the plane or its occupants.

The report's conclusion says low-altitude flight always presents a higher risk with hazards, such as power lines that aren't physically marked, difficult to see in time to avoid a collision.

"Flying at low altitude also reduces the margin of safety in the event of engine failure, a loss of control, or any other unexpected circumstances, and increases the risk of an impact with the ground or an obstacle," says the report released Thursday.

Photo courtesy of Istock.