A seaplane had a major accident yesterday in Vancouver, though fortunately there were no fatalities. This could have ended a lot worse.
Harbour Air plane has accident in Vancouver
Harbour Air is a well respected airline that operates out of British Columbia, with the carrier’s fleet consisting of seaplanes that offer tours of the area, as well as some short distance flights. The airline has roughly 40 aircraft — it’s one of the largest seaplane airlines in the world, and carries around half a million passengers per year.
Unfortunately on Saturday, June 8, 2024, passengers wanting to enjoy an aerial tour of the area had a bit more of an adventure than they bargained for. Shortly before 1PM, a Harbour Air turboprop was speeding up to take off from the water near Canada Place, when it collided with a small boat.
In the video, you can see the aircraft accelerating on the water and then directly colliding with a boat, prior to briefly becoming airborne, and then falling back in the water and sinking.
There were five passengers on the aircraft and four passengers on the boat, and some have sustained injuries, and were taken to local hospitals. However, none of the injuries are life threatening, and there were no fatalities.
Boats in the area stepped in to rescue the passengers who were in the water, given that the aircraft was sinking. The airline released the following statement:
“Upon takeoff, while operating a scenic tour with five passengers onboard, our aircraft came into contact with a boat. All five passengers on the aircraft and the pilot, are uninjured and safe.”
Thank goodness this incident didn’t have a worse ending, especially for the people on the boat (as they were arguably in the more vulnerable situation).
How does a seaplane accident like this happen?
This is way beyond my area of expertise, but does anyone have insights as to how exactly seaplanes ordinarily operate in the water so safely, avoiding boats? There are obviously no “formal” runways in the water, since the takeoff direction varies based on weather conditions, winds, etc.
Obviously one of the selling points of seaplanes is that they can take off and land just about anywhere, including in areas that don’t see many other aircraft.
However, Vancouver sees around 50,000 seaplane movements per year, so there are nearly 150 seaplane flights per day. I know all the Harbour Air aircraft park in one area, and then “taxi” (on the water) to their takeoff point. Obviously a well organized system exists.
Are boats supposed to avoid that potential takeoff area altogether, are boats supposed to give way to the seaplanes, are seaplanes supposed to be on the lookout for boats, or what?
I guess it’s safe to say that this system works a vast majority of the time, since we hear about these kinds of incidents surprisingly rarely. But when it does happen, you can’t help but wonder how…
Bottom line
A Harbour Air seaplane had a serious accident in Vancouver. While trying to take off, the aircraft collided with a boat, causing the airplane to briefly become airborne, and then fall back in the water and sink. While there were injuries from this incident, there at least weren’t fatalities. Harbour Air operates tens of thousands of flights per year, so it’s rare to see something like this…
What do you make of this seaplane incident?
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