Fire officials survey the scene of a plane crash on Highway 97 near Osoyoos Tuesday afternoon. The pilot survived and is being treated for undetermined injuries. Photo by Richard McGuire
A Surrey pilot is in critical condition after crash landing on Highway 97 near Osoyoos late Tuesday afternoon.
Police, ambulance and firefighters were called to the scene just north of Osoyoos, where a single engine plane made an emergency landing on the roadway, struck a telephone pole and burst into flames.
According to the investigation, as well as eye witness accounts, the small Beechcraft enroute from Oliver to Boundary lost power and attempted an emergency landing on the highway.
Corporal Jason Bayda of the Osoyoos RCMP said the pilot and sole occupant, a 46-year-old male from Surrey, cleared power lines only to catch his wing on the rear of a semi trailer that was travelling north bound. The plane hit the ground and slid hard into a telephone pole, bursting into flames.
“The pilot suffered extensive burns to the majority of his body, however was able to extricate himself from the wreckage,” Bayda said.
The pilot was transported to South Okanagan General Hospital and later airlifted to a burn unit in Vancouver where he is listed in critical condition.
The investigation has been turned over to the Transportation Safety Board.
