Wednesday, August 6, 2003

On Monday, August 4, at 1:00 p.m., a private airplane with a family of five aboard crashed on Manitoulin Island near Silverwater at the west end of the island. The plane, a 6-seater Piper Malibu with pressurized cabin, had just taken off from the Gore Bay Airport heading for the family's home in Alberta when the pilot began experiencing problems.

He decided to return to the airport but realized he would not make it. He advised air traffic control that he would be making an emergency landing. He attempted to land on Cook's Bay Road about 20 miles west of the airport.

Upon touching down on the road, the plane's left wing hit a number of trees shearing the wing off and flipping the plane onto its roof.

The crash was witnessed by several residents who contacted the O.P.P. and the fire department. The air ambulance was called and the family of five was taken to the Mindemoya Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police are investigating along with the Federal Transportation Safety Board and the Ministry of the Environment.