Although investigations are still ongoing, by all accounts of Monday’s plane crash near Safeway, a pilot from Coquitlam, originally from Powell River, may have saved some local lives as his own ended.
David Tetarenko, a 54-year-old man flying a twin-engine PA-30 Comanche to Powell River from Pitt Meadows, died after his plane was seen shaking from side to side before it spiralled and crashed into a wooded area right next to the grocery store’s parking lot.
No fire or smoke was reported coming from the plane before the crash, pointing to a mechanical problem.
Many have already speculated that the pilot, knowing he was going down, made every effort to crash land somewhere that would not endanger other people’s lives. He has been called a hero for doing so.
Whether or not it can be proven that the pilot sacrificed himself to save others, the Labour Day plane crash has rattled the community. As Powell River residents are quick to offer condolences to the pilot’s family, many of those who witnessed the crash are contemplating the fragility of life and trying to put the “what if” scenarios out of their minds. It could have been so much worse and thank goodness it was not.
Many people flocked to the site immediately after the crash to see what was happening. Powell River Fire Rescue chief Terry Peters even took to Twitter hours after the crash to implore Powell River residents to please stay away from the scene.
This raises an important point about crash-scene etiquette and protocol. It is very simple: Stay away from crash scenes unless you absolutely need to be there.
We have teams of first responders who have to do an incredibly difficult job attending to accidents such as these. The last thing they need is crowds of people in their way or complicating matters on scene. Ambulance, fire and police should be commended for their timely and sensitive handling of this unfortunate, devastating event.
We will have time to reflect on the plane crash as Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigates the cause and details. For now we can be thankful the pilot was able to avoid a larger disaster at one of Powell River’s busier intersections. Tragically, it cost him his life.
Jason Schreurs, publisher/editor
