Tribal council president in float plane that flipped near Tofino
Posted July 27, 2021 2:35 pm.
Last Updated July 27, 2021 2:44 pm.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Upside down and partially submerged in water, Cole Sayers managed to save both himself and his mother Monday when the float plane they were on flipped and crashed near Tofino.
Cole and this mother, Judith Sayers, who is the president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, were among five people aboard the Cessna Skywagon bound for Hesquiaht.
“We lifted off for about three to five seconds and then came down. We flipped forward … and were upside down,” he recalled.
The aircraft crashed on the Deadman Pass Sandbar after taking off from the First Street Dock in Tofino.
Cole unbuckled his seatbelt and immediately went to check on his mom.
“Her head was submerged underwater. She was struggling to breathe and struggling to get her seatbelt off,” he explained.
He and others lifted her up so she could get some air.
“There was water coming in. At first, I was scared because I thought that we were in deep water. But fortunately, we were still in relatively shallow water.”
They managed to get her seatbelt off, but they were immediately faced with another challenge, as the doorway was partially blocked.
“I went around onto the plane and helped get her out,” Cole said, adding the Coast Guard was already there to help.
He says he’s thankful everyone survived, and are recovering with cuts and bruises.
“We’re still in shock. We still can’t believe it happened. You don’t expect these things to happen,” he said.
So very grateful &happy to be alive after being in a float plane crash yesterday off #tofino. Scary experience. So grateful my son @ColeSayers & 3 others are safe. Life is so precious-Thx to all who helped -coast guard, ambulance and hospital drs & nurses https://t.co/tatVx1FHl7
— Judith Sayers (@kekinusuqs) July 27, 2021
It’s not clear what caused the crash, but Transport Canada is investigating.
“Thank goodness we were in shallow water so that we didn’t have to do that underwater. I don’t think that we’d be able to,” Cole said.
