Investigators with the Transportation Safety Board remain at the site of a float plane crash near Vancouver Island that left four people dead.
The Cessna 208 Caravan went down around 11 a.m. PDT on Friday, on Addenbroke Island, about 100 km north of Port Hardy, according to the Joint Rescue Co-Ordination Centre (JRCC) in Victoria.
The flight had departed from Richmond, B.C., and was heading for a fishing lodge on Calvert Island.
Pilot Al McBain, 59, who had 15 years flying experience with Seair Seaplanes and three passengers died. Five other injured people were rescued by helicopter, with two of them flown to Vancouver in critical condition.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, McBain’s sister, Saanich Coun. Nathalie Chambers, confirmed her brother’s passing.
“I am very extremely devastated and heartbroken to announce the death of my brother Al McBain. I love you,” she wrote.
Chambers described McBain as a great brother who believed in her, was inspired by nature, and was meticulous and hard-working.
“I was away this weekend,” Chambers told The Canadian Press. “I just found out about it yesterday and I just told my mom. I just want everybody to know what a wonderful person he was and what a nice person he was. He would give the shirt off his back to a stranger.”
Chambers added that there was poor weather in the area at the time of the crash.
She said that it was fitting that the team which deployed to the crash site, Comox 442 Rescue Squadron, was the same one with whom McBain’s late father had been a pilot.
WATCH: (July 27, 2019) TSB investigating fatal float plane crash off Vancouver Island
None of the victims have been formally identified. The B.C. Coroners Service said Monday that their remains have been transported from the area for an examination and to confirm identification.
“Until that process is complete, we will not be able to provide age ranges or hometowns of the decedents,” said the service.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised the Canadian Coast Guard’s role in the rescue operation on Monday.
“To the members of the coast guard who were on the scene: thank you,” Trudeau said at an event to mark the renovation of Vancouver’s Kitsilano Coast Guard base.
“When Canadians need help they know they can look to you. Whether here on the west coast or in the St. Lawrence or out east, every day members of the Canadian Coast Guard do vital, life-saving work.”
Seair initially froze all flights in the wake of the crash, but resumed operations Saturday following a safety audit.
— With files from Jill Bennett and the Canadian Press
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