A small Piper PA-32 has crashed into a forest in Northwest Kingston, Canada. 7 people, including a family of five, took off in the small aircraft from Buttonville Municipal Airport in Markham, Ontario, bound for Quebec City to spend thanksgiving. The pilot, along with the aircraft, were American. All seven people on board tragically passed away, including three children aged 3, 11, and 15. The aircraft crashed at about 5:00pm local time Wednesday evening, and an air force helicopter from Trenton CFB arrived on the scene at about 7:10pm, approximately two hours after the incident.
The TSB reported Thursday morning that the aircraft’s final moments were spent at a very steep angle of attack when the aircraft was destroyed in its entirety, and then came to a stop facing northward. The TSB also mentioned it was likely that the aircraft was intending to land in Kingston, as it had made contact with the Kingston flight station prior to the incident. The next stage of the investigation will be to find the events leading up to the crash, which will undoubtedly be a long process. Weather was particularly poor in the area, with a special weather statement and wind gusts of up to 80km/h reported. The defaced aircraft was only 6km north of Norman Rogers Airport (CYGK) in Kingston when it saw its final moments. Information is still very fresh, and initial reports remain inconclusive.
The tragedy of this incident is obvious, and my sincere condolences go out to the families, and friends of the victims in this terrible crash. Seven lives lost. Many more affected. A terrible night. This particular incident hit close to home for me, and the inevitability of tragedies such as this one is truly sad.