Credits: SUN NEWS NETWORK
EDMONTON -- A man in his 50s is dead after an ultralight plane crashed near a private airfield north of Lloydminster, AB, Monday.
The pilot's body was retrieved by members of the Lloydminster Rescue Service Monday morning due to challenging terrain at the crash site.
The experienced pilot was over 50 years old, said Sgt. Jaime Hubbert with Kitscoty RCMP, and was discovered by police officers in a ravine just 600 metres from his home.
The pilot had been reported missing and officers were on their way to see the pilot's family when they made the tragic discovery, Hubbert said.
"It was a fairly steep ravine which made some of the recovery a challenge, but it wasn't in a wooded area," Hubbert said. "The crash was visible from the lip of the ravine."
The pilot was last seen conducting takeoff and landing drills on his property Friday, and was reported overdue to RCMP Monday morning.
Police say he had recently come into possession of the ultralight plane and had no previous experience flying that type of aircraft.
The ultralight airplane is a basic model, Hubbert said, resembling a hang-glider with a motor attached to it. It only had one seat.
Police are not releasing the pilot's name at the family's request. The cause of the crash is still under investigation by Kitscoty RCMP and Transport Canada.
An autopsy will be performed this week to determine any possible factors in the crash.
The crash is the third in a string of ultralight plane crashes in recent months.
Apparent engine failure led to an ultralight crash southeast of Calgary on Aug. 16 that left a Calgary pilot in critical condition.
The man, believed to be in his 50s, had taken off from a grass runway at an Indus-area airstrip when his ultralight plane began faltering after it reached an altitude of about 150 metres.
The ultralight crashed into a canola field 2 km south of the Indus Airport and about 100 metres from an acreage home.
The pilot, who hasn't yet been named, was transported to Foothills Hospital by STARS Air Ambulance in critical condition.
On July 31, a pilot walked away with just bumps and bruises after his ultralight plane crashed into a Ponoka field. The pilot, a 57-year-old Red Deer, AB, man, was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
-With files from QMI Agency
matthew.dykstra@sunmedia.ca
@SunMattDykstra
The pilot's body was retrieved by members of the Lloydminster Rescue Service Monday morning due to challenging terrain at the crash site.
The experienced pilot was over 50 years old, said Sgt. Jaime Hubbert with Kitscoty RCMP, and was discovered by police officers in a ravine just 600 metres from his home.
The pilot had been reported missing and officers were on their way to see the pilot's family when they made the tragic discovery, Hubbert said.
"It was a fairly steep ravine which made some of the recovery a challenge, but it wasn't in a wooded area," Hubbert said. "The crash was visible from the lip of the ravine."
The pilot was last seen conducting takeoff and landing drills on his property Friday, and was reported overdue to RCMP Monday morning.
Police say he had recently come into possession of the ultralight plane and had no previous experience flying that type of aircraft.
The ultralight airplane is a basic model, Hubbert said, resembling a hang-glider with a motor attached to it. It only had one seat.
Police are not releasing the pilot's name at the family's request. The cause of the crash is still under investigation by Kitscoty RCMP and Transport Canada.
An autopsy will be performed this week to determine any possible factors in the crash.
The crash is the third in a string of ultralight plane crashes in recent months.
Apparent engine failure led to an ultralight crash southeast of Calgary on Aug. 16 that left a Calgary pilot in critical condition.
The man, believed to be in his 50s, had taken off from a grass runway at an Indus-area airstrip when his ultralight plane began faltering after it reached an altitude of about 150 metres.
The ultralight crashed into a canola field 2 km south of the Indus Airport and about 100 metres from an acreage home.
The pilot, who hasn't yet been named, was transported to Foothills Hospital by STARS Air Ambulance in critical condition.
On July 31, a pilot walked away with just bumps and bruises after his ultralight plane crashed into a Ponoka field. The pilot, a 57-year-old Red Deer, AB, man, was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
-With files from QMI Agency
matthew.dykstra@sunmedia.ca
@SunMattDykstra
