A Piper Aerostar PA-60-602P, similar to the one pictured, crashed near the northern coastline of Gabriola Island on December 10, 2019, killing three people. (Google Maps/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

FATAL CRASH

Instrument failure, spatial disorientation blamed for fatal Gabriola Island plane crash

Jul 28, 2020 | 10:05 AM

NANAIMO — A critical sensor failure, poor weather and a disorientated pilot are believed to have contributed to a fatal plane crash on Gabriola Island in December.

Three people died, including a former Transportation Safety Board (TSB) examiner, when the Piper Aerostar plane they were in crashed in a wooded area near the northern shoreline on December 10, 2019.

The trio were concluding a two day journey from Mexico to Nanaimo with two scheduled stops in California.

A TSB report said an attitude indicator failed which, combined with poor Nanaimo area weather, contributed to spatial disorientation for the pilot.

In the minutes leading up to the crash, the pilot was in communication with an air traffic controller in Victoria.

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Between 6:03 p.m. and when the plane crashed at 6:05 p.m., the plane was recorded on radar at altitudes between 1,800 and 2,700 feet above ground or sea level.

The plane’s speed also varied significantly, between 60 and 160 knots, as the pilot made several tight turns off Gabriola Island’s northern shore.

It’s believed the pilot was attempting to intercept the localizer for the ILS (instrument landing system) at Nanaimo airport.

In poor weather, the ILS system provides pilots instrumentation guidance on the location of the runway.

Visibility in the region at the time of the crash was limited with light drizzle, broken clouds at around 400 feet and more dense overcast skies at 1,000 feet, the TSB probe found.

Both people in the front seats of the aircraft were experienced pilots, however the report was unable to determine who was piloting the aircraft at the time of the crash.

In the left seat, traditionally the pilot, was Allan Boudreau with 320 flight hours in single-engine aircraft but limited logged hours at night.

The right seat was occupied by Alex Bahlsen, the aircraft’s owner, former TSB examiner and registered commercial pilot with over 13,000 hours flight time to his name.

Katheryn Boudreau, Allan’s wife, was the third person in the plane.

All three deceased were from the Cowichan Valley.

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