British ColumbiaSealand Flight Ltd., a flight training school based in Campbell River, B.C., said one of its pilots died in the crash, which involved a Sealand Flight Cessna 172 on a private flight.Plane went down in a wooded area southwest of Nanaimo at about 3 a.m. Thursday, police sayCBC News · Posted: Nov 27, 2025 2:51 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.RCMP are on the scene of a plane crash near Nanaimo, B.C., on Thursday that has at least one fatality. (Claire Palmer/CBC)Police say there are no survivors after a small plane crashed southwest of Nanaimo, B.C., on Vancouver Island Thursday. In a news release, Nanaimo RCMP said they responded to reports of a plane crash in a wooded area near Twilight Way, located just outside of Nanaimo, at about 3 a.m. PT Thursday. Sealand Flight Ltd., a flight training school based in Campbell River, B.C., said one of its pilots died in the crash, which involved a Sealand Flight Cessna 172 on a private flight.Bill Alder, president of Sealand Flight, said the company is devastated.”Aviation is a small community, and Sealand Flight is like a family,” Alder said in a news release. “Our hearts go out to the pilot’s family during this incredibly difficult time.”Sealand said additional details will be released as they become known.CBC News has reached out to Sealand to ask if there were any other people on board the flight.Nanaimo RCMP did not confirm how many people were on board.Police say the plane was found in a large debris field and officers are on the scene investigating.The Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed in an emailed statement that it is aware of the crash and working with all parties to gather information.RCMP taped off an area near Twilight Way southwest of Nanaimo after a plane crashed there early Thursday. (Claire Palmer/CBC)The Nanaimo Airport said in a statement it is aware of the small aircraft incident and that it happened about eight kilometres from the airport.The airport said it is co-operating with the investigation and airport operations will proceed as scheduled.’It’s almost surreal’: neighbourTom Palmer, who lives about four houses away from where the plane crashed, said he didn’t hear a bang or crash — but he did wake up around 3 a.m.”We were awoken by a loud, kind of rumbling, roaring noise that I just thought was like a Harley Davidson or something … somebody without a muffler on their truck,” Palmer said.He said he went to check out the scene later, around 7 a.m., and found the area marked off with police tape.He said the area was very misty, but he could make out debris including metal, pipes and struts.”It’s almost surreal because nothing happens out here,” Palmer said. “We’re out in the mountains, by a river, near the lakes. We’re about 15 kilometres from the City of Nanaimo, so it’s usually really, really quiet.”More to come.With files from Tarnjit Parmar, Jenifer Norwell and Lauren Vanderdeen
Pilot dies in small plane crash in wooded area near Nanaimo
