Public Safety and Solicitor General
The BC Coroners Service has confirmed the identity of a man who died after an air crash near Vanderhoof on Oct. 10, 2016.
He was Leonard Michael Banga, aged 42, of Saskatoon, Sask.
Mr. Banga was the pilot of a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver airplane, which took off from the Vanderhoof airport at about 9 a.m. on Oct. 10, 2016, en route to Laidman Lake, a remote lake southwest of Vanderhoof. About 25 minutes after takeoff, the plane crashed into a heavily wooded area about 20 kilometres east of Laidman Lake. Mr. Banga was deceased at the scene. Four other persons on board the plane were rescued and transported to hospital.
The BC Coroners Service, Transportation Safety Board and RCMP continue to investigate this death.
Mr. Banga’s family has been notified of his death. On behalf of family members, the BC Coroners Service requests that the media respect their privacy during this difficult time.
