A Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigator photographs the left wing tip of the fallen aircraft. (Transportation Safety Board of Canada)
A 67-year-old pilot is dead after the plane he was flying out of an airfield outside Sussex crashed in a nearby cornfield.
The crash happened shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The owner of the airstrip noticed the crashed plane in the field.
Sussex RCMP Sgt. Jim MacPherson said the New Brunswick man was flying a single-engine dual-seat private aircraft.
The plane crashed a short distance from the private airstrip at 121 Marshall Hill Rd. in Wards Creek, south of Sussex.
Two investigators with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada travelled from Dartmouth, N.S., to investigate. MacPherson said the RCMP will be working alongside the board.
RCMP in Sussex responded to a plane crash that happened in a field outside Sussex on Wednesday evening. (Sarah Kester/CBC)
"The pilot was the only person on board and was deceased at the scene," MacPherson said. The pilot, whose identity has not been released, died from his injuries, he said.
Safety board investigator Bruce Mullen called the plane a Zenair 710, but the RCMP have confirmed it was a Zenith STOL CH 750.
No one was at the airfield when the kit-built short takeoff and landing plane took off, so it's not known where it was going or what the purpose of the flight was. Mullen said engineers will try to determine the plane's path using evidence gathered at the scene.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the crash. (Sarah Kester/CBC)
Investigators will now look at the state of the pilot's licence, the maintenance history of the plane and the weather at the time of the crash, he said.
The plane about 50 metres from the end of the airstrip, and the runway will likely be closed for the duration of the investigation, police said.
Corrections
The plane described by a safety board investigator as a Zenair 710 was in fact a Zenith STOL CH 750.
A 67-year-old man from Kingston is dead after a crash near Sussex on Wednesday. (Brian Chisholm/CBC)
The plane involved in the fatal crash in Sussex is known for its safety, says a local flight instructor.
Frank Savignac, an ultralight flight instructor based in Salisbury, said the Zenith STOL CH 750, is a build-your-own amateur aircraft.
The short takeoff and landing plane is mostly designed for rough runways with not a lot of distance. "Zenith has a really really good safety record because the airplanes can be flown so slow, so you don't have to worry about stalling," he said.
On Thursday, a 67-year-old pilot from Kingston died after the plane he was flying crashed in a cornfield. RCMP won't release his name.
The crash happened shortly after 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The plane took off from the airstrip at 121 Marshall Hill Rd. in Wards Creek, south of Sussex, and ended up a short distance away.
Two investigators with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada travelled from Dartmouth, N.S., to investigate the crash. RCMP are working alongside the board.
Frank Savignac is a local ultralight and paragliding instructor based in Salisbury. (Frank Savignac/Submitted)
Savignac said the 750 can fly as fast as 160 kilometres an hour but is more likely to be seen flying at 60 to 65 kilometres an hour. He said it all depends on what engine it has, and how much weight is in the airplane itself.
He said he was surprised to hear this plane was involved in a fatal crash. In some ultralight planes, the pilot must maintain a 95 kilometres an hour speed to avoid aerodynamic stall - when the nose begins to pitch downwards.
"So if your engine goes out or something happens you have to maintain that speed or the aircraft doesn't fly," he said.
However in STOL planes, some engines won't stall even at 64 kilometres an hour.
"So I was quite surprised to hear that," he said. "I would be very interested to find out what happened that's for sure."
Safety inspection
Transport Canada spokesperson Alexandre Desjardins said every person who builds an aircraft must register it before it can be deemed "airworthy."
To pass registration, an amateur-built aircraft must be inspected "for workmanship and general serviceability" while it's being built as well as after final assembly, Desjardins said.
If the plane isn't found to be airworthy, it must have a a sign in plain view that says it doesn't have the proper certificate.
The planes also need to be inspected every year.
Corrections
A previous version of the story referred to ultralight plane engine stalling. Frank Savignac was in fact referring to aerodynamic stall.
Jim MacDonald Someone got their story wrong. An aircraft stall is when the airspeed is too low and the wings no longer provide lift. An aircraft stall and an engine failure are two different things.
Jim MacDonald
Reply to @jim macdonald: I should have added that regardless of the incorrect use of aviation terminology this is a sad story about a man's death whatever the cause of the accident.
David R. Amos
Reply to @jim macdonald: True I noticed the boo boo too but said nothing. However why focus on the aircraft? A 67 year old can die riding a bus. Two friends of mine died of heart attacks while riding their motorcycles with friends. in my humble opinion we all should be so lucky to leave this world while doing something we love to do perhaps it i the same with man but no doubt an autopsy would tell the tale. What is important about this tragedy is that no one else was hurt.
