The crash of a 1942 Grumman Goose operated by Wilderness Seaplanes Ltd. shortly after takeoff from Bella Bella Airport (CBBC), British Columbia in December 2023 was due to contaminated fuel. Both engines of the piston twin failed, and the amphibious aircraft landed in trees beyond the runway. The pilot and four passengers survived with minor injuries and were able to make their way to a nearby road where a passerby brought them to a hospital.
The Transportation Safety Board investigation report (A23P0153) was released on Thursday, December 4, 2025. In it, the investigators determined that the fuel that was taken from upright drums at the airport before takeoff contained water. No testing of the fuel was done immediately before or after fueling up. Wilderness Seaplanes has since equipped their aircraft with a fuel testing kit and made its use mandatory when taking fuel from other than a fuel truck or conventional fuel tanks. The TSB highlighted the need for all operators to have proper fuel testing procedures in place when taking delivery in similar circumstances.