The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is investigating after a plane crashed near La Crete, in northern Alberta.
Chris Krepski, spokesperson for the TSB, said the incident happened at around 9:20 p.m. on Wednesday, near the La Crete airport, approximately 700 kilometres north of Edmonton.
Krepski said the aircraft involved was an Air Tractor AT-502B and that it was doing some crop-dusting work at the time.
He said that, during a repositioning turn, the aircraft struck the ground and the pilot was fatally injured.
The plane was located in a field “with extensive damage,” according to RCMP.
Krepski said that the pilot was the only person in the Air Tractor; he could not comment on the experience of the pilot.
RCMP said the pilot is a 43-year-old man from La Crete.
Investigators will arrive on site at around 4 p.m. on Thursday, and Krepski said an update is expected Friday morning.
The team from TSB “will look at the wreckage, will survey the area, interview witnesses, gather information about the pilot’s training and experience, the aircraft’s maintenance history and identify pieces for further examination at the lab,” Krepski said.
He did not have information about weather conditions at the time or whether speed or alcohol are factors.
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