(Quebec) A 57-year-old man lost his life Thursday when he crashed aboard a Cessna during the night in Denholm, in the Vallée-de-la-Gatineau MRC.
According to the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), it was an automated call from a cell phone that alerted the first responders around 1:30 a.m. on the night of Wednesday to Thursday. A search operation was therefore launched.
“According to initial information collected, the person in distress was in an aircraft when the call was made. Searches were carried out by snowmobile police, accompanied by the Canadian Armed Forces who were on board a helicopter,” explained Sergeant Camille Savoie, spokesperson for the SQ.
The military finally located the aircraft around 10 a.m. Thursday morning. The 57-year-old man, who was alone on board the plane, was found unresponsive at the scene and his death was confirmed at hospital.
The SQ Major Crimes Division will assist the coroner to determine the causes and circumstances of the death of the man, who lived in Blue Sea, still in Outaouais.
For its part, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) will look into the events that led to the crash of the aircraft. The aircraft involved is a Cessna 172, according to the TSB.
“The TSB will collect information and evaluate the event,” we can read in the brief press release from the federal agency.
An analysis of the scene will take place on Friday. According to the TSB, the aircraft crashed between Denholm and the neighboring hamlet of Martindale.
The SQ was unable to provide details on the aircraft’s flight route.