Initial monitoring shows no water contamination after northern Ontario cargo plane crash

A cargo plane that crashed into a lake next to Eabametoong First Nation in northern Ontario last week is still in the water but there appears to be no sign it's leaking anything harmful, the community's chief says.

The Basler BT-67 aircraft, operated by North Star Air, landed in Eabamet Lake around 12:40 a.m. on June 21. The Transportation Safety Board, which is looking into the incident, said initial reports showed the plane lost power to its engines shortly after taking off from the First Nation's airport and landed in the water.

No one was hurt and the plane was empty of any cargo.

The community was concerned that fuel or other contaminants could leak from the downed aircraft and pollute the water, said Eabametoong Chief Harvey Yesno, especially as the intake for the First Nation's water system is about a kilometre-and-a-half away.

However, environmental monitoring being done by an engineering company contracted by the airline which Yesno said included lab testing of water samples in Toronto hasn't shown any evidence of a leak. Provincial and federal environmental officials say they've been notified of the crash, are monitoring the situation and have not confirmed or been made aware of any contamination.

Yesno said water monitoring will continue.

"We've been working closely with the company and other authorities," Yesno said. "[Environmental officials] are monitoring that ... to see if there's any signs of any spill from the aircraft."

The First Nation is doing its own monitoring of its water system as well, Yesno said. A community health representative routinely checks water quality, as Eabametoong remains under a boil water advisory, but Yesno said, with concerns about the impact of the plane crash, that local testing is being done more frequently.

Extraction equipment due in soon

The plane landed in a shallow bay, known as Lornjack Bay, and is secure there, Yesno said, adding that, even though there's no sign of any leaks, in-water containment and absorption equipment has been set up just in case and the Canadian Rangers monitor the area of obvious signs of pollution, like slicks on the water.

That care will extend to when the plane is removed from the water, Yesno said.

"We want to be cautious that, as they begin to lift [the plane] and move it ashore, that ... if there's any fuel spill, I mean, that's our primary concern once the aircraft is moved ashore," he said.

"I know they're working as fast as they can because ... we want the airplane out of the water," Yesno said of North Star's efforts. "It's a matter of deploying this other equipment that's needed on the water."

The Transportation Safety Board said removing the aircraft from the crash site is the responsibility of the airline.

That equipment to help move the plane could start arriving later this week, Yesno said.