Don Urquhart

Times-Chronicle

A small four-seat Piper PA-24-250 aircraft experienced a landing gear failure on Wednesday and crash-landed at the Osoyoos Airport with the unidentified pilot and two passengers walking away unscathed. 

RCMP Sgt Jason Bayda told the Times-Chronicle that the incident occurred at 3:46 p.m. on Wednesday, June 30. The local detachment was informed of the situation by the Kamloops Flight Information Centre (FIC) which is responsible for air traffic in the B.C. region. 

According to Sgt Bayda the aircraft experienced a landing gear warning light as it was coming in for its planned landing at Osoyoos. A friend on the ground confirmed to the pilot via cell phone that both landing gear were down after the pilot did a flyover. 

But upon touchdown, it was evident one side was not locked into place as the gear collapsed causing the aircraft to slide along the runway before coming to a stop in the dirt just off the edge of the runway.

Police and emergency rescue vehicles were on hand but ultimately not needed. It’s unclear the extent of the damage to the aircraft. Times-Chronicle arrived on the scene as the aircraft was about to be hoisted onto a flatbed truck. 

The aircraft, also known as a Piper ‘Comanche’ 250 was manufactured in 1960 and is registered to an individual in Revelstoke B.C. 

Sgt Bayda adds that his office will forward its report to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the official body responsible for investigating civil aviation occurrences that take place in Canada. 

The Kamloops FIC is part of Nav Canada – a privately run, not-for-profit corporation that owns and operates Canada’s civil air navigation system. It provides air traffic control, airport advisory services, weather briefings, and aeronautical information services for more than 18 million square kilometres of Canadian domestic and international airspace. 

A network of FIC’s in Kamloops, Whitehorse, Edmonton, Winnipeg, London, Quebec City, and Halifax provide coverage across the entire country. 

The Osoyoos airport is getting some upgrades with the help of an economic recovery grant from the province, it was announced in March this year. The Osoyoos Airport Development Society announced $524,174 in funding with support from the  Town of Osoyoos, Osoyoos Indian Band, Destination Osoyoos, and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS)  through the Province of B.C.’s Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program (CERIP).

These funds will go towards continuing to increase safety, service, and site improvements at the Osoyoos Airport, according to the development society. The upgrades follow development spanning 30 years at the Osoyoos Airport, with over $600,000 invested in the facility thus far.