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Loss of control, low altitude probably caused plane crash that killed 2: TSB

When personnel at the air strip got to the crash site they found the engine running and the two men aboard suffering from fatal injuries.

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An engine backfire and loss of control just after takeoff likely caused the crash of an ultralight aircraft last May in St-Cuthbert that took the lives of a flight instructor and student, an investigation by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has found.

The report, made public Monday, found that “the engine backfired during the initial climb over the runway. Subsequently, the aircraft was in a steep bank (between 60 and 90 degrees) during the right turn, and it then entered a dive.

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“The scenario considered most plausible by the investigation was a loss of control during the turn with insufficient altitude to recover before impact with the ground.”

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The incident began around 7 p.m. on May 24 when the aircraft, a DTA Voyageur II 912S basic ultralight aircraft, took off with a student pilot in the front seat and a pilot providing instruction from the back seat. After an hour of flying locally and performing low altitude fly overs of the runway, the aircraft landed and the pilot and student changed seats, although investigators could not determine why or if such a change was common practice.

About eight minutes later, the aircraft took off again, and investigators note that “during the initial climb over the runway, several engine backfires were heard. The aircraft then commenced a steep right turn and entered a dive before it disappeared behind a pile of hay bales.”

Mario Baril
Mario Baril Photo by Facebook
Norbert St-Onge
Norbert St-Onge Photo by Facebook

When personnel of the ultralight club at the air strip got to the crash site they found the aircraft’s engine running at high speed. The two men aboard — instructor Norbert St-Onge, 54, of L’Assomption and student Mario Baril, 40, of St-Damien — suffered fatal injuries.

St-Onge left behind three children and three grandchildren, while Baril had a partner and two children.

Subsequent tests on the engine found it was still running normally and the backfires heard during the failed takeoff were not explained.

St-Cuthbert is 75 kilometres northeast of Montreal and 55 kilometres southwest of Trois-Rivières, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River.

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