Records Of Aircraft, Airline Investigated In Accident That Claimed Three

Investigators are looking into what brought down a Cessna 208 Caravan (file photo of type, right) Saturday on Vancouver Island, B.C. The accident killed three aboard the Sonicblue airliner, and injured five others.

Prior to the accident, the pilot radioed the Port Alberni airport requesting an emergency landing, but the plane went down about six miles from the airport. Police confirmed the pilot, another man and a three-year-old boy died at the scene.

Five others were rescued by search-and-rescue crews who parachuted into the area, or were winched down from helicopters.

"The five remaining individuals have been treated," said Corporal Rob Foster of the Port Alberni Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment. "A 13-month-old female child was transported to Children's Hospital in Vancouver."

Police haven't released the victim's names.

While the cause of the accident hasn't been determined, investigators haven't ruled out anything -- including the possibility icing may have played a role. As Aero-News reported last week, the NTSB has issued several urgent safety recommendations after 33 people died over the last 15 years in accidents attributed to icing on Caravans.

Canada's Transportation Safety Board has not issued a similar warning, although the agency is looking into two other accidents involving the C208.

"All I can tell you is that we are going to look at... what is known about the Cessna 208, and that everything that we know and everything that we discover through our investigations will figure into our final report," said spokesperson John Cottreau to CBC News.

Investigators are also looking at Sonicblue's safety record. The airline -- formerly known as Regency Express -- has suffered two fatal accidents since 1998.

CBC also reports Sonicblue was fined last year for failing to follow proper maintenance procedures... and for letting students fly commercial flights.

Company representatives declined to answer any questions about the accident, saying only the airline's employees have been praying for the five passengers in hospital.

FMI: www.tsb.gc.ca/en/index.asp, www.sonicblueair.com