Float plane crash near Tadoussac, Que., kills 6
Crash occurred in a heavily wooded, remote area in Quebec's North Shore region
Six people who were on board a single-engine plane that crashed Sunday in Quebec's North Shore region have been found dead.
Quebec provincial police confirmed the deaths Monday afternoon.
Although the Sûreté du Québec would not name any of the victims, CBC News has confirmed the identities of two: Romain Desrosiers, the pilot of the single-engine Beaver seaplane, and Emilie Delaitre, a 28-year-old woman from France.
Police said Desrosiers was an experienced pilot and the weather conditions on Sunday were optimal.
A nosedive?
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board got to the site of the plane crash on Monday afternoon.
"What we noticed at first sight is that there is not a horizontal trajectory that entered the trees. We have trees that are intact and we have a plane that is on the ground that crashed vertically, between the trees," Gavillet said, adding that the aircraft was heavily damaged.
"There was a post-impact fire. There was a fire in the cabin area."
Julie Leroux from the Transportation Safety Board said investigators will try to determine the cause of the crash.
"They will examine the wreckage, they will collect data, they will take photos for the investigation, and then they will conduct interviews with witnesses and the company," Leroux said.
Plane never returned
Police said they received a call from Air Saguenay around 2 p.m. ET on Sunday to say the plane hadn't returned at its scheduled time.
The remote area is not accessible by road, meaning search crews had to travel by foot and on ATVs to reach the crash site.
The Canadian Forces base in Halifax dispatched a Cormorant helicopter on Sunday and sent in people by parachute.
The aircraft was built in 1956. Air Saguenay said the motor in the plane was brand new.
Flight operator 'devastated'
Air Saguenay routinely flies tourists around in the area, as well as people heading to hunting and mining camps.
The aircraft he was flying was built in 1956. Air Saguenay said the motor in the plane was brand new.
Tremblay said this is a difficult day for the people at his company and that his thoughts are with the families of those who died in the crash.
"Everyone is devastated," he said.
The municipality of Tadoussac issued a statement Monday afternoon, offering condolences.
"Our thoughts are with the victims and their families," the statement said. "The quality of the experience and the safety aspects of the various tourist activities remain at the heart of our concerns ... The municipality of Tadoussac will follow closely the results of the investigation led by the Transportation Safety Board. This will shed light on this sad incident and will provide the necessary recommendations in order to prevent such a situation from happening again."
Commotion on radio airwaves
Recreational pilot Jean-Louis Bérubé was flying his aircraft at the time of the crash when he heard a commotion over the air traffic radio.
"There was a lot of action on the airwaves," he said.
Bérubé said the conditions at the time were excellent for flying.
"No clouds, no wind, no fog," he said.
This is the second time an Air Saguenay seaplane has been involved in a fatal crash.
In July 2010, four of the six people aboard a de Havilland Beaver died, in part because the pilot took off despite bad weather.