TSB report on fatal 2023 B.C. plane crash points to low speed as factor

Investigators with Canada’s Transportation Safety Board say it appears a small plane was not going fast enough when it rolled and crashed into trees near the airport in Chilliwack, B.C., killing all three people onboard.

A report into the October 2023 crash that killed a flight instructor and two students says investigators could not determine the specific exercise that was being conducted when the Piper PA-34-200 Seneca plane approached the airport, rolled to the right and crash into trees behind a casino.

The report says dashcam video from a passing vehicle and the post-accident wreckage examination is consistent with the aircraft entering a “minimum control speed” roll before the crash.

It says rolls happen when there is uneven power between a plane’s two engines and the aircraft’s speed falls below the minimum required.