Our condolences to the pilot’s family, friends and loved ones, and to everyone in Saint-Georges affected by the crash.
A pilot was killed Wednesday after a small plane taking part in Remembrance Day commemorations crashed near the airport in Saint-Georges, Quebec.
Emergency crews were called around 11 a.m. local time on Nov. 11 to the area of 10e Rue and 30e Avenue, near Parc des Sept-Chutes. The Sûreté du Québec, Quebec’s provincial police, later confirmed the pilot had died.
Police say he was the only person on board. They haven’t released his name.
Saint-Georges is a city of about 33,000 in the Beauce region, about 100 kilometres south of Quebec City.
Six planes flew over the ceremony
The plane was one of six that flew over the town’s Remembrance Day ceremony at Place des vétérans, Mayor Manon Bougie told Le Journal de Québec.
She said the planes had flown a “Missing Man” formation, a traditional aerial tribute to people who died in service. The crash happened after the flypast, as the planes were heading back to the airport.
News reached the ceremony
The news reached people while the ceremony was still going on, local outlet EnBeauce reported.
Bougie was too shaken to give the speech she’d prepared. The ceremony continued while people waited for news.
In a statement, the mayor offered her support to the pilot’s family and everyone affected.
What witnesses saw
A large column of smoke could be seen from a distance. The plane caught fire after it crashed.
A witness told Noovo Info that the plane was flying lower than the others before it disappeared behind the trees. Another witness said they saw it nosedive.
Police, firefighters and paramedics went to the site, and police set up a perimeter around the area.
Early reports didn’t agree on whether the pilot was taken to hospital. Police first said the pilot was seriously injured, then confirmed the death that afternoon.
Investigators on site
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has sent investigators to the crash site. The TSB investigates to find out what happened and how to prevent it from happening again. It doesn’t assign blame.
The Sûreté du Québec is also investigating.
Officials haven’t said what caused the crash, and nothing reported so far explains it. Authorities also haven’t identified the plane’s model, its registration or who operated it.
“Sincere condolences”
“I would like to offer my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones,” Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon wrote on X. He said he’s following the situation with Domestic Security Minister Guy Lapointe Jr.
Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard offered his “deepest condolences” to the family 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 celebrations.”
This is a developing story. We’ll update it when police or the TSB release more information.
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