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Minor injuries as plane lost at Eden Lake

Two people received minor injuries when a Harbour Air floatplane sank after landing at Eden Lake last Thursday (Jan. 9).
The aircraft, a single-engine turbine Otter, was on a scheduled flight from Prince Rupert, when it attempted a landing with the nose too low, damaging a float, and then sinking, according to Peter Evans, airline operations manager in Richmond. The plane went down in about 23 meters of water.
"It's just that the water was glassy, like trying to land on top of a mirror," Mr. Evans said. He also said it's hard to call the incident a crash, since there was no impact. On board the plane was the pilot and one passenger, who only got wet as he was taking his luggage out before the plane sank.
The accident happened about 2:30 pm, and was reported immediately to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. There will be no formal investigation by the board. Regional Investigator Ben Dennis told the Observer the board has to priorize the incidents it investigates, and will not look into this one beyond collecting basic information.
Such accidents are not uncommon, according to Mr. Dennis, and "are one of the biggest risks for float plane flying". "A pilot has to be able to perceive where the landing surface is," he said.
The board lists the $1.5-million aircraft as 'destroyed' and in an 'aviation occurrence' report, describes the accident as follows:
"The DeHavilland DHC-3 was on approach to Eden Lake under glassy water conditions on touchdown. The left float structure collapsed and separated from the aircraft. The aircraft decelerated rapidly and came to rest in an upright, left-wing low attitude. Both occupants escaped with minor injuries."
The name of the pilot has not been released, but the Observer has learned that the passenger was Howard Stromquist of Abbotsford, returning to the Husby Forest Products camp to start a four-week shift as an equipment handyman. He was sent to hospital in Masset on January 10, where he was treated and released for a sore shoulder and torn ligaments. He then returned home, and is expected to be off work for six weeks, according to Wayne Craig, the Eden Lake camp supervisor.
The plane has been pulled from the water and will be shipped by barge to Vancouver.
Harbour Air's Peter Evans says the incident will not affect scheduled service out of Prince Rupert. The airline flies daily to Masset, and Eden Lake and three times a week to Queen Charlotte. Eden Lake is about thirty kilometres southwest of Masset.