Friends and family remember victims of deadly plane crash off Vancouver Island

As the Transportation Safety Board continues to look into the cause of a plane crash that claimed the lives of three people north of Port Hardy last November, the families of those victims search for answers while remembering their loved ones.

The crash occurred on Nov. 23, 2022, in a remote logging camp in Strachan Bay.

The plane was piloted by 35-year-old Patrick Lehman, whom life-long friend Brian Texmo says was an adventurer.

"His nickname was 'The Gypsy' because he was always all over the place doing everything, whatever his heart desired," he said. "He just went and did it, nothing ever held him back."

Texmo has been friends with Lehman since the age of four and started a GoFundMe campaign to benefit Lehman’s daughter who is expected to be born in August.

Texmo says Lehman wasn’t aware his girlfriend was pregnant when his plane went down.

"The money is there because Patrick is not there, and can’t be there," said Texmo.

"So we got together, a bunch of friends, and talked about it and said we want to do this because Patrick would always help anybody out in any chance given to him."

Texmo says they only found out about Patrick’s girlfriend being pregnant a couple of weeks after his death.

"We knew they were trying at the time, and it’s extremely bittersweet," he said.

Patrick Lehman and his girlfriend are pictured. (Submitted)Texmo says when he spoke at Lehman’s celebration of life on Feb. 4, which was held at the Port Hardy Civic Centre in front of a packed crowd, he referenced his friend’s many jobs and how he wanted to explore rather than being in one spot.

"When you think of Patrick, you think of an outdoorsman living his life to his fullest," he said. "The kid did everything from fishing, hunting, flying – everything outdoors he was out doing. He was never inside, he just loved every bit of being outside."

SUNSHINE COAST CONNECTION

Aside from Lehman, two others died when the plane crashed, including 30-year old Colby Drinkwater of Gibsons, B.C.

His partner, Alison McPhie, says Drinkwater had been a logger for close to a decade, following in the footsteps of his grandfather who had a logging company on the Sunshine Coast.

Colby Drinkwater is pictured. (Submitted)She says he often worked in remote communities and had expressed concerns about having to fly to remote areas, especially out of Port Hardy.

"I definitely have questions about what happened, as they should not have flown," McPhie told CTV News.

"There were wind warnings, [and] I think they should have better flying regulations for small planes in rough winds," she said.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has also been set up for McPhie and her three-year-old daughter, Lily, in order to relieve some of the financial stress they have facing ahead of them.

"His last message to me was, 'Might be a rough plane ride out, love you and Lily,'" McPhie said.

Colby Drinkwater is pictured. (Submitted)

COURTENAY CONNECTION

The third victim in the crash was 54-year-old Paula Henderson of Courtenay, who was working in the camp as a cook.

An obituary lists Henderson as being a wife, mother, grandmother and friend who "leaves a giant hole in the hearts of her husband of 29 years," and her children and grandchildren.

The obituary goes on to say "she will be dearly missed by her many friends and other family members”"

CRASH CAUSE

Texmo believes Lehman had been a pilot for three or four years before the crash and is anxious to know exactly how it occurred.

"There’s a lot of speculation on that subject of what happened, from eye witnesses to talking with other pilots," he said.

"One thing we do know is they take some time to go through one of those investigations, so I know a lot of us are eagerly awaiting the results to see what happened."

"For the most part, it’s a pretty reliable job and fairly safe, but just like in anything – especially with planes and you’re flying in inclement weather – things can happen just that quickly," said Texmo.

A staff member from the Transportation Safety Board says the investigation into the crash is in the "report phase" and additional information can’t be released until the report has been concluded.