Water-contaminated fuel led to 2023 plane crash near Bella Bella, B.C.: TSB

RICHMOND — Federal investigators say the use of fuel contaminated with water caused the failure of both engines in a plane that crashed on British Columbia’s central coast.

The Transportation Safety Board says in a report that the Dec. 18, 2023, crash of a Wilderness Seaplanes Ltd. Grumman Goose seaplane happened shortly after the aircraft took off from Bella Bella, B.C.

The pilot and four passengers onboard suffered minor injuries, and the plane was substantially damaged in the forced landing.

The ensuing investigation found that the plane was refuelled before takeoff from a drum that had been improperly stored, which likely allowed water to enter.

The report also found that no clear procedures for drum fuelling were provided, and the omission of fuel sampling had been normalized — creating a number of gaps that allowed for contaminated fuel to enter the plane’s systems.

The findings say the local operator of fuelling services has since made sampling mandatory if the fuel came from any source other than a fuel truck or two specific tanks, and the seaplane’s operator has also equipped its planes with clear containers to simplify sampling for pilots.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2025.

The Canadian Press