'Right place at the right time': Coastal First Nations members help save floatplane passengers after Tofino crash
Witnesses say it happened in the blink of an eye.
On Monday, a floatplane landing in Tofino’s harbour banked hard at the last moment, but not before hitting a water taxi.
"One of my good friends drives the boat. I thought I was witnessing my friend die in front of me," said witness, Floyd Campbell Jr.
Watching on in horror, Campbell says the plane's propeller lightly clipped the boat, throwing sparks into the blue water below.
The aircraft's pontoon would also scrape against the small water taxi before it splashed down into the harbour.
As the vessel began sinking, a group of First Nations water taxi pilots on a nearby dock quickly jumped into action.
Full throttle, water taxi pilot Kenney Brown rushed to the side of the half-submerged plane and began doing what he knows all too well.
"I pulled the child in first, then the father and then the two ladies," said Brown.
On Monday, the Ahousaht First Nations member would save four people from the cold Pacific water rushing up around them.
The pilot of the plane jumped on to the water taxi he struck, which, according to its owner, suffered only cosmetic damage.
No one was seriously injured in the crash.
NOT THE FIRST TIME
Rescuing strangers in dangerous situations is nothing new for Kenney Brown.
In 2015, he would help save more than a dozen people from a sinking whale watching boat off Tofino.
At the time, the Leviathan II was hit with a rogue wave while on a tour near Vargas Island.
Six people would die in one of the worst modern nautical disasters on Canada’s far West Coast.
This week, Brown was again where he seems to be when disaster strikes.
Water taxi pilot Kenney Brown helped rescue passengers aboard a floatplane that flipped in Tofino: (CTV News)
"I was in the right place at the right time," Brown told CTV Vancouver Island.
"The one young kid I saved is the same age as my son," he said. "I couldn't fathom my son climbing out of a plane like that. My heart was heavy. I cried."
According to the owner of the water taxi hit by the Tofino Air floatplane, the crash is now under investigation by the Transportation Safety Board.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.