A seaplane lifted off directly into the side of a boat while setting off on a Saturday sightseeing flight from a harbor in Vancouver, Canada. The pilot and five passengers onboard De Haviland DHC-2 Beaver escaped the crash uninjured, CBC News reports. Those on the boat weren’t as lucky, with two people being sent to the hospital with injuries.
It’s surprising for this kind of collision to happen because most bodies of water are open and flat. There’s nothing for a boat to hide behind and appear unexpectedly. An Australian tourist told the CBC, “We saw two speedboats in front of it and I am not sure if it hit the speedboat or not, but it sort of jumped in the air and did a nosedive over the top of the speedboats.” The video footage shows the seaplane attempting a takeoff. It’s unclear if the pilot didn’t see the boat or was trying to clear it.
The Beaver was sinking fast as one of its floats was destroyed. The six people onboard were standing atop the plane as it sank. The first vessel on the scene was a ferry from SeaBus, Vancouver’s passenger service. However, the Canadian Coast Guard was quick to mount a rescue effort. April Larson, the ferry’s captain, told CTV News, “It’s the law. If you see someone in need, in trouble, you must help them.”
Canada’s Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident and will hopefully discover why the crash happened. The seaplane in question will also be recovered from the bottom of the harbor.