Toronto police officers say a 49-year-old pilot of a small airplane that landed in Lake Ontario Friday afternoon is now recovering at home after being rescued.
The incident happened at around 2:25 p.m. on Friday. The crash site appeared to be south of Woodbine Beach and east of the Leslie Street Spit.
Duty Insp. Lhawang Jongdong said the pilot was helped out of the water by people in sailboats nearby before members of the Toronto Police Service marine unit arrived.
“We’re very fortunate to see this person kind of land safely,” he said, noting the pilot was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
Jongdong said the pilot is a doctor who lives in Toronto and was en route to eastern Ontario for a medical call. He told officers the engine of the airplane lost power and he was trying to return to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport.
According to a statement issued by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB), the federal organization that investigates incidents involving aircraft, the airplane in question was a privately registered Cirrus SR22. Authorities said the pilot was en route to the Pembroke and Petawawa area from the airport.
“Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft attempted to return to the airport but collided with the water approximately 2.5 nautical miles short of the runway,” TSB spokesperson Liam MacDonald wrote.
“We are currently gathering information and assessing the occurrence.”
Cirrus SR22 aircraft utilize the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System, which is a whole-plane parachute built in as a safety measure.
A witness told CityNews she and others were standing on the shoreline when they heard a bang.
“[We] looked out and a small red-and-white plane crashed into the water,” said Kate Sharpe, adding that a parachute may have been deployed.
Jongdong said the airplane is now approximately 200 to 300 metres from the shoreline and is about 30 to 40 feet below the surface.
The CityNews chopper captured video of what appeared to be a red-and-white parachute in the water.
Jongdong said members of the marine unit have been liaising with Transport Canada to make sure boaters are aware of the scene. He said officers would remain in the area overnight.
A spokesperson for PortsToronto, the organization that runs Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, said there were no impacts to airport operations.
UNKNOWN TROUBLE:(Update)
Tommy Thompson Park
– rescued man in his 40’s w/non-life threatening injuries
– will update location and time for media scrum w/Duty Inspector #GO907831
^sc— Toronto Police Operations (@TPSOperations) May 2, 2025
