Advertisement

Witness describes fatal Canada Day plane crash outside Winnipeg

Click to play video: 'Witness describes fatal Canada Day plane crash outside Winnipeg'
Witness describes fatal Canada Day plane crash outside Winnipeg
WATCH: Witness describes fatal Canada Day plane crash outside Winnipeg – Jul 5, 2016

WINNIPEG — The sight of seeing a small passenger plane crash into a field is a moment Heather Manchulenko said she will never forget.

“This is the kind of thing you see on movies, not in real life. And just horrible, right away,” Manchulenko said.

A Piper PA-28 plane crashed on the eastern outskirts of Winnipeg, near Deacons Corner, on Canada Day. Two members of the Canadian Forces, Capt. Zachary Cloutier-Gill and Capt. Bradley Ashcroft, who were off-duty at the time, were killed.

READ MORE: Winnipeg plane crash victims identified

Manchulenko and her family was driving south on the Perimeter on Friday morning, near the TransCanada Highway, when they noticed a plane taking off from Lyncrest Airfield. She said the plane appeared to be flying very low to the ground and was having a difficult time gaining altitude.

Story continues below advertisement

“Instead of flying up, the plane did a complete nosedive, disappeared behind the hill again and then there was a big cloud of smoke,” Manchulenko explained.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

She said her husband Kevin ran towards the crash site seconds after it landed but was blocked off by the Red River Floodway. The remains of the plane had been consumed by flames and Manchulenko said they were distraught that they were not able to get the men help in time.

Flags at 17 Wing air base are now at half mast, as both Cloutier-Gill and Ashcroft were Royal Canadian Air Force members and worked at 1 Canadian Air Division.

“Winnipeg and Manitoba is the beating heart of the air force. To lose two members of our RCAF family is very shocking and very sad for all of us,” said David Lavalee, public affairs officer of 1 Canadian Air Division.

The Transportation Safety Board said its investigators are continuing to pick through the wreckage in order to determine the cause of the crash and expects to have answers shortly. It confirmed on Monday that the small plane did not have a blackbox on board.

 

Sponsored content

AdChoices