Pilot And Sole Occupant Of Plane Cold And Wet... But Okay

A Mooney was ditched in the frigid water of Howe Sound just yards offshore near Gibsons, BC on Friday afternoon.

Witness Jim Miller said, "It was at an odd angle when it was coming down -- didn't look like a normal landing at all. (It) looked like it was coming in for a landing, but that would be an unusual place for it to land."

CTV photos clearly show the Mooney inverted in shallow water, with its landing gear retracted.

Victoria Joint Rescue Coordination Centre pilot Shawn Stewart, responded to the crash site. "My co-pilot jumped on the float and was going to jump in the water to actually see if there was anyone in the aircraft," but spotted a man on the shore who was "soaking wet and obviously the pilot."

"At that point, Chris jumped in the water and swam around the rocks to go and help him and make sure there was no one else inside the aircraft," Stewart said. "He was in good shape there wasn't any physical damage that could be seen -- he was just obviously cold."

The Mooney pilot was transported via a West Coast Air Twin Otter floatplane to a hospital at Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island, CTV reported. His identity has not yet been released.

Canada's Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

FMI: www.tsb.gc.ca