A pilot returning to the airport after participating in a Remembrance Day ceremony has died in a plane crash in a town south of Quebec City.
The small aircraft crashed into a wooded area near the airport in Saint-Georges, in Quebec’s Beauce region, around 11:01 a.m. Wednesday.
The pilot has been identified by the Sûreté du Québec as a man in his 60s who lived in the region. A spokesperson for the provincial police, Audrey-Anne Bilodeau, says he was the lone occupant of the plane and he was declared dead at the scene.
“What has just happened is truly sad and terrible,” said Saint-Georges Mayor Manon Bougie in a news release. “Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones affected by this tragedy. All our thoughts and prayers are with them at this time.”
The municipality of Saint-Georges says the crash appears to have happened while the pilot was preparing to land, and the plane reportedly caught fire upon impact.
Bilodeau says it is too early in the investigation to confirm those exact details.
“Regarding all the circumstances, whether it happened during landing or takeoff, there are many questions you might be asking,” Bilodeau told reporters. “Was there an operational error, or was there a mechanical failure in the aircraft? You will understand that the investigation will reveal this, working in conjunction with our partners at the Transportation Safety Board (TSB).”
The TSB indeed dispatched a team of investigators to the scene, which is about 100 kilometres south of Quebec City.
“Their expertise lies precisely in determining whether there was a breakage, a mechanical failure, or an operational error that could have led to a loss of control — resulting in the tragic outcome,” the SQ spokesperson said.
Bilodeau said the police force will speak to witnesses. She said she could not speak to the pilot’s level of experience.
Politicians across Quebec and the country extended their condolences to the pilot and his family.
In a post on X, Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said he is in contact with Quebec Domestic Security Minister Guy Jr. Lapointe “to obtain further details and to determine whether the Government of Quebec can provide any assistance.”
The leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, Charles Milliard, offered his condolences to the pilot’s family and loved ones. “My thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy,” he wrote on X.
At the federal level, Quebec lieutenant Joël Lightbound said: “On this day, as we pay tribute to those who have served us, my thoughts are with the pilot’s family, his loved ones, and the entire Beauce region.”
Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said he was saddened to hear of the pilot’s passing.
The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Pierre Poilievre, also expressed his sympathies. “Thank you to the courageous emergency responders who answered the call,” he said on X.
–With files from La Presse Canadienne
