Alex Bahlsen has been confirmed by family and friends as the pilot of the plane that crashed on Gabriola Island on Tuesday, Dec. 10 (Alex Bahlsen Facebook)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

gabriola crash

Three dead including experienced flight instructor in Gabriola plane crash

Dec 11, 2019 | 6:59 AM

GABRIOLA — An experienced flight instructor and former TSB examiner has been identified as one of three people who were killed in a plane crash on Gabriola Island Wednesday evening.

Friends and family of Alex Bahlsen, 61, have confirmed he was travelling back to Canada when the five passenger plane he was piloting crashed on the north west tip of Gabriola Island. No-one on the plane survived.

Maritime Forces Pacific say the aircraft was attempting a landing at Nanaimo Airport but crashed on approach. There was fog and misty rain in the area at the time of the crash.

It is unclear whether a mayday call was made, however the landing is believed to have been scheduled. Bahlsen resided in the Mill Bay area.

Residents on Gabriola Island reported hearing a loud bang and subsequent explosion around 6 p.m. on Tuesday night. The plane came down in a vacant lot near the northwestern tip of the Island.

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No-one on the ground was hurt.

BC Coroners Service Andy Watson told NanaimoNewsNOW investigators arrived on scene Wednesday, Dec. 11 to begin determining the cause of the crash.

“We have members from our special investigations unit on Gabriola to determine not only who died, but how, where, when and by what means,” Watson said. “These high impact incidences, they can be complex answers to gather.”

Flight radar shows the plane departed Bishop airfield in central California on Tuesday afternoon to make the approximately 1,400 kilometer trip to Nanaimo.

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