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, according to the town.
The pilot has been identified by the Sûreté du Québec as a man in his 60s who lived in the reigion. A spokesperson for the provincial police says he was the lone occupant of the plane and he was declared dead at the scene.
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.
“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 Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has dispatched a team of investigators to the scene, which is about 100 kilometres south of Quebec City.
Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon confirmed the pilot’s death in a post on X.
“I would like to extend my sincere condolences to their family and loved ones,” he wrote.
The premier 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.”
“My deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of the pilot who tragically lost his life in the crash of this aircraft in Saint-Georges-de-Beauce, while taking part in Remembrance Day commemorations,” added Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard in an X post. “My thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.”
–With files from La Presse Canadienne
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