Ontario Provincial Police say a Quebec man died in a mid-air plane crash in eastern Ontario over the weekend.
Two small planes collided near Martintown, Ont., at around 11 a.m. Saturday. One of the planes, a Piper Seminole with two pilots, landed safely. The other, a Cessna 172, was located in a wooded area, and the pilot, its lone occupant, was found dead.
In a news release Monday, police identified the deceased pilot as a 28-year-old man from L’ile-Bizard, Que., across the Prairies River east of the Island of Montreal. He was not named in the release.
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The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is investigating the crash.
According to the TSB, the two planes were owned and operated by Cornwall Aviation and were conducting training flights at the time of the collision.
“Today was a very difficult day for our aviation community. Nothing can prepare you for such tragedy. Many have reached out with thoughts and comfort and we appreciate every one of you,” Cornwall Aviation said on Facebook on Saturday.
“At this time we would ask that your thoughts be with the family of those directly affected and the days to come for them. Thank you to all of the first responders, police, search and rescue, and neighbours that were selflessly doing everything possible during this difficult time.”
Area resident Glen Finbow witnessed the crash and called 911.
“I had just finished feeding my alpacas, got to the end of the road to put the sign out and I heard a pop, a bang. From there, I turned towards Chapel Road, and I saw what looked like a Piper or something coming straight down with one wing missing,” he said.
Finbow spent about 45 minutes looking for the crash site with first responders but was unsuccessful.
“Every time I see a plane, it’s going to regenerate the memory of what I just saw,” Finbow said.
Leslie-Anne McDonald also lives in the area. She didn’t see the crash but said the sight of a military plane overhead suggested something was wrong.
“Within a short period of time, of course, we saw police, ambulance, and then the rescue helicopter, so we figured something was going on and it was very frightening,” she recalled.
The plane was later found in a swampy area. The TSB says it has been working to clear vegetation from around the area to safely remove the plane from the swamp. OPP are assisting in the investigation.
Martintown is located approximately 20 kilometres north of Cornwall.
With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Josh Marano and Adam Beauchemi
