Alex Garneau, Canada mom killed in Prince George emergency plane landing in British Colombia after pilots of Beech King Air 200 with 6 passengers forced to make split decision after sudden loss of power before runway.
A Canada mother of two was killed when a small plane landed on her car while making an emergency landing on a highway.
Alex Garneau was in one of four cars hit by the twin-engine Beech King Air 200 plane as it landed along Foothills Boulevard, Prince George, British Columbia, on Thursday afternoon.
‘It was absolutely unbelievable,’ one of the other drivers, Jaime Pawliuk, told CBC of the plane shattering his sunroof.
Plane crashes onto BC road, kills driver in vehicle
The tragedy is reported to have occurred as Garneau’s young daughter sat in the front seat and witnessed (and survived) the freak accident.
The pilot made an emergency landing when one of the aircraft’s engines lost power leading up to the final 13 miles to Prince George airport. None of the six passengers nor two crew on the twin-engine plane operated by Sekani Air were injured, Global News reported.
Garneau was ‘driving with her daughter Josie when the plane impacted with their vehicle and she was tragically killed,’ a family friend said on Facebook.
Josie walked away ‘most unharmed’ from the crash site, the friend said. Garneau was a proud ‘hockey mom’ whose two kids — Josie and son Jackson — both play. She also leaves behind husband Jordan.
‘She was the kind of person who was behind the scenes of almost every team and activity her kids were part of. She made the drive,’ her friends said in a fundraiser, paying tribute to the hockey mom.
‘She organized. She cheered. She made things happen. Her children are both incredible people and hockey players, and she had big dreams for them and the lives they will lead,’ they said.
‘Alex was the friend who always had your back, the person you knew would show up when you needed her the most. She had a way of making people feel like they belonged all while having so much fun.
‘For some of us, she offered something that is difficult to find: family. She didn’t need to have known you your whole life to make you feel like you belonged in hers. She made room for people, and she supported them.’
Surviving drivers reveal unfolding drama
Pawliuk, one of the other drivers whose car was struck, said he feels lucky to have been ‘able to walk out of it.’
‘All of a sudden it was on top of me,’ he recalled of the unexpected landing plane.
‘I tried to swerve as much as I could to get into the ditch, but unfortunately I was only able to make it just a little ways before the wing just sheared the entire top of my vehicle off and showered me with glass
‘I have superficial cuts all in my hands. I have glass still in my hair.’
Mohit Arora, another driver, claimed one of the plane’s propellers nearly hit his car.
‘It just stopped like 10 feet ahead from my car. I am so lucky that the fan and the blades did not hit my car,’ he said.
Ten people were assessed for injuries at the scene, two of which were hospitalized in stable condition.
What caused charter flight to go down?
The plane was registered to Sekani Air Ltd., an industry charter flight company based in Prince George has declined to comment on the incident.
Former TSB investigator Bill Yearwood told CBC one of the key questions is what caused the plane to come down, given it is supposed to be able to fly on a single engine.
A final crash report is expected to take months before completed.
A Gofundme established on behalf of Garneau’s family has to date raised $123, 229.
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