Plane recovered from Jasper crash site, investigation continues

A Cessna 150J that crashed near Jasper over the weekend, killing the plane’s passenger, has been recovered from the Athabasca River.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said Tuesday that the aircraft is now being transported to the TSB lab in Edmonton for further examination.

The TSB said the privately registered plane departed the Jasper Airport at around 1:30 p.m. Sunday with one pilot and one passenger on board. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft “collided with ground,” according to the TSB.

An RCMP spokesperson said it’s believed the plane had just taken off when it crashed into a river near an airstrip.

Alberta Health Services said one person was pronounced dead at the scene while the other was taken to hospital. RCMP later confirmed the man who died was a 31-year-old passenger on the plane.

The male pilot was airlifted to hospital in Edmonton in serious, but stable condition, RCMP said Sunday night.

The wreckage was pulled from the river near the airstrip. The TSB said investigators have collected data from the Jasper Airport and documented the recovery process and the wreckage. Data collection continued in Jasper on Tuesday.

The TSB deployed two investigators to the site on Monday and the investigation is ongoing.

Highway 16 near Jasper East Park Gate was briefly closed as a result of the crash but reopened later Sunday.