Three people escaped unharmed after a small plane crashed at Victoria’s airport when its landing gear collapsed, officials say.
The privately-owned, single-engine Mooney aircraft had its landing gear collapse when it touched down on the airport’s main runway early Friday afternoon.
The plane owner’s wife told CTV News her husband had travelled to Tofino with his father and brother on a birthday fishing trip.
The plane was headed back to Chilliwack when it requested to land in Victoria, becase the pilot had concerns about the landing gear.
Air traffic control put emergency crews on standby and according to the Transportation Safety Board, the aircraft’s right main support landing gear collapsed upon impact.
The crash shut down the airport’s main runway while crews towed the aircraft. For a period of time, flights took off and landed on an alternate runway.
North Saanich Fire Department responded to the incident out of an abundance of caution with two vehicles and six firefighters, with Sidney Fire on standby.
The airport announced all operations had returned to normal around 2:30 p.m.
The three people aboard the plan were all uninjured, according to the airport.
While the TSB says there won’t be an in-depth investigation, it is looking to speak with the pilot at some point to learn whether he had any indication of the unsafe landing gear.
