Small Plane Crashes Into Apartment Complex

The pilot of a twin-engine plane was killed Friday when his aircraft struck an apartment building in Richmond, British Columbia. Two persons inside the building were injured.

The Canadian Press reports the aircraft, believed to be a Piper Seneca, was on a short flight from Vancouver International Airport to nearby Pitt Meadows, when witnesses saw the plane flying erratically.

"I knew it was in trouble. It was going way too fast," said Crystal Mason. "The minute I saw it in the air before it was doing any kind of funny turn it was going way too fast. I knew it was going to crash. I really did. I knew it was going to crash."

The aircraft struck a ninth-floor apartment. Two residents of that dwelling were transported to the hospital, one with serious injuries. The pilot was the only person onboard the Seneca.

Fire crews evacuated the building as a precaution when some reported smelling avgas, but there was no fire.

Neighborhood resident Rick Eng told the CP others in the community have expressed concern over low-flying planes, arriving and departing from Vancouver International.

"There's a couple of times there's a plane flying right above our buildings," he said. "They're a little bit too low. I'm kind of wondering, is it necessary?"

No names have been released in the accident. Authorities are investigating.

FMI: www.tc.gc.ca/