A pilot had a narrow escape Saturday morning when he managed to deploy a parachute moments before his plane crashed.
Around 9:15 a.m., the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) received a call concerning a plane in difficulty near the Sept-Îles airport in Quebec’s Côte-Nord region.
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The 37-year-old pilot from Indiana was flying to Quebec City airport from Wabush, in the western tip of Labrador, when his Cirrus SR22 aircraft experienced engine failure, said SQ spokesperson Louis-Philippe Bibeau. The Cirrus SR22 is equipped with a whole-plane parachute system.
When the plane failed to reach its intended destination, the SQ deployed a rescue team in the Lake Walker area.
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The pilot, who managed to reach the ground safely, was able to give his location to authorities via GPS.
He was rescued by a Canadian Armed Forces aircraft at around 2 p.m. on Saturday and was transported to the hospital, Bibeau said. The man is not injured but suffered a nervous shock.
— With files from The Canadian Press