'A stupid mistake': Pilot safe after hard landing in Campbell River
Despite 57 years of flying experience under his belt, pilot Joel Eilertsen realized you can't be too complacent. His lesson came after the plane he was piloting made a hard landing on the ocean near Campbell River on Thursday morning.
"It was a little bit of a stupid mistake on my part and that's all there is to it,” Eilertsen says. “As pilots, we have to admit when we make mistakes. We can't be trying to blame anybody else for something."
The 74-year-old runs a charter business out of Coal Harbour on the north end of Vancouver Island and was bringing his plane to Campbell River for maintenance when the mishap occurred.
He was landing in the water off of Painter's Lodge, something he says he has done thousands of times before.
“Everybody is saying, ‘Boy, you were lucky,’ but luck is made,” he says.
Eilertsen wasn't injured in the incident and says he was wearing a shoulder belt and flotation device when his plane hit the water. He says two boats came to his assistance right away.
"I was just coming in and I wasn't paying attention. The aircraft was level and the airspeed had dropped off and I was about 20 feet off the water,” he says.
The nose hit and busted the spreader bar and the aircraft was then leaning to one side.
Asked what his initial thoughts were when the plane was going down, Eilertsen says he thought "Oh boy, this is going to hurt,” he says.
Mike Miller witnessed the mishap from his home near the lodge.
"I was just typing on my computer and looking out the window and boom,” Miller says. “The nose went in, I ran in and got my wife and called 911.”
He says it took a while before the pilot appeared out of the aircraft.
He says the first to arrive on the scene was a water taxi, perhaps two to three minutes after the plane came down, and then the coast guard.
Millers says the sun shining in the eyes of the pilot may have been a factor in the crash.
The 1967 De Havilland Turbo Beaver was towed by a coast guard vessel to the Sealand Aviation facility in Campbell River and is already undergoing repairs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.