Oct 19, 2026 · 20 min · 16 segments
The CHEK News Podcast is your daily snapshot of the news of the day. For more Vancouver Island news watch CHEK News at 5pm, 6pm, and 10pm or for news anytime go to cheknews.ca and subscribe to the…
Dean StoltzTess
Rob ShawAli Herrera
Mary GriffinSky RyanThe Transportation Safety Board has released a report into a fatal plane crash near Port Hardy almost four years ago.
The pilot and three people were killed when the float plane went down in Strachan Bay, then sank.
As Dean Stoltz tells us, no conclusive cause was found, but weather and modifications to the aircraft might have been factors.
The Transportation Safety Board report says the Cessna A185E, a single-engine, high-wing, all-metal monoplane, took off from a logging camp at Strachan Bay north of Port Hardy at 12.42 p.m. on November 23, 2022.
Observers on a nearby hillside saw the plane climb to roughly 100 feet, turn left to the northwest and then appear to struggle in the air before banking rapidly, pitching nose down and striking the water.
The aircraft floated upside down, partially submerged for a short time before sinking.
The pilot, Patrick Lehman from Port Hardy, and two passengers he'd picked up at the logging camp who worked for Mill and Timber Products in Port Hardy, all perished in the crash.
sorry for the families and all the grief and worry that they're going through.
The TSB report does not pinpoint one specific cause of the crash, but several likely contributing factors.
It concludes the pilot's loss of control was likely caused by low-level wind shear and an incomplete pre-flight weather risk assessment.
The investigation concluded that strong regional pressure gradients generated low-level wind shear and mechanical turbulence, which were insufficiently accounted for due to limited pilot familiarity with local wind conditions.
The TSB also found that the aircraft contained several modifications for water operations and short-distance takeoffs.
The TSB noting that combined modifications without adequate documentation can alter handling characteristics and leave pilots unprepared for unexpected flight behavior.
The TSB says the impact forces were significant and that these conditions resulted in non-survivable injuries to all occupants, adding the accident was not survivable.
The Transportation Safety Board has released a report into a fatal plane crash near Port Hardy almost four years ago.
The pilot and three people were killed when the float plane went down in Strachan Bay, then sank.
As Dean Stoltz tells us, no conclusive cause was found, but weather and modifications to the aircraft might have been factors.
The Transportation Safety Board report says the Cessna A185E, a single-engine, high-wing, all-metal monoplane, took off from a logging camp at Strachan Bay north of Port Hardy at 12.42 p.m. on November 23, 2022.
Observers on a nearby hillside saw the plane climb to roughly 100 feet, turn left to the northwest and then appear to struggle in the air before banking rapidly, pitching nose down and striking the water.
The aircraft floated upside down, partially submerged for a short time before sinking.
The pilot, Patrick Lehman from Port Hardy, and two passengers he'd picked up at the logging camp who worked for Mill and Timber Products in Port Hardy, all perished in the crash.
sorry for the families and all the grief and worry that they're going through.
The TSB report does not pinpoint one specific cause of the crash, but several likely contributing factors.
It concludes the pilot's loss of control was likely caused by low-level wind shear and an incomplete pre-flight weather risk assessment.
The investigation concluded that strong regional pressure gradients generated low-level wind shear and mechanical turbulence, which were insufficiently accounted for due to limited pilot familiarity with local wind conditions.
The TSB also found that the aircraft contained several modifications for water operations and short-distance takeoffs.
The TSB noting that combined modifications without adequate documentation can alter handling characteristics and leave pilots unprepared for unexpected flight behavior.
The TSB says the impact forces were significant and that these conditions resulted in non-survivable injuries to all occupants, adding the accident was not survivable.
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