Pilot killed as plane crashes during Remembrance Day flypast in Saint-Georges, Quebec

A private plane taking part in a Remembrance Day ceremony in Saint-Georges, Quebec, crashed into woods near the airport at about 11 a.m. on Wednesday (November 11), killing the pilot. The pilot, a man in his 60s from the region, was alone aboard; no one on the ground was hurt. The cause is not known.

Six planes went up. One did not come back.

Mayor Manon Bougie told CBC that six aircraft were flying the Missing Man formation — the traditional aerial salute to fallen aircrew, in which the formation leaves a gap where one plane should be — over the ceremony at Place des Vétérans. The city later said the crash happened in a wooded area near 10th Street, on land belonging to the Aurélien Lessard sugar bush, near Parc des Sept-Chutes, close to the airport and behind a home. Bougie, who had a speech prepared for the ceremony, was too upset to deliver it, EnBeauce.com reported. The planes had taken off from Saint-Georges airport; all were private aircraft flown by civilian pilots. EnBeauce.com reported the crash happened on the return toward the airport, after the flypast.

Witnesses: engine sputtering, then a dive

Serge Doyon, watching from his balcony, told TVA Nouvelles the planes flew in a triangle formation, 1-2-4, and that the last plane at the back right drifted off course. “You could hear there was a plane with a mechanical problem. The engine was burping, it would quit and restart. It roared and then it didn’t roar anymore.” Marie-Soleil Lessard-Rancourt, in the middle of a driving lesson, told Le Journal de Québec she saw one aircraft break away from the formation and nose-dive. Mélanie Quirion wrote on Facebook that she saw six planes fly over at about 10:50 a.m. and that everything seemed normal.

Michel Rodrigue, who lives beside the woods where the plane came down, told CBC he heard a metallic sound, “like the sound of sheet metal.” “My wife has flowers upstairs and I thought the cat had knocked over the flower cabinet,” he said. “It turned out it was the plane crashing behind our house.” He saw flames and ran for two fire extinguishers, then realised “two small fire extinguishers wouldn’t have been enough for a fire that size.” Frédéric Morin, director of the Saint-Georges fire service, told Radio-Canada rescuers reached the site in under six minutes, but the aircraft was already in a generalised blaze and the pilot could not be saved. An air-ambulance helicopter was dispatched to the airport.

Pilot not yet named; reported to be an experienced local flyer

Sûreté du Québec spokesperson Sgt. Audrey-Anne Bilodeau confirmed the dead man was in his 60s, from the region, and the only person aboard. His name has not been released, pending formal notification of his family; the aircraft’s make, model and registration have not been released either. Le Journal de Québec reported, citing its own information, that he was an experienced pilot and a member of the Club aéronautique de Beauce.

Ceremony halted as master of ceremonies broke down

News of the crash reached the ceremony within minutes. Lt.-Col. Robert Bergeron, the master of ceremonies — himself one of the pilots in the formation — announced that a plane had crashed, then broke down in tears, and the ceremony stopped. Yvon Thibodeau, who was at the ceremony, told Radio-Canada: “He said a plane had crashed. He collapsed, he was in total panic, he was crying and the ceremony stopped.” Danny Lizotte, attending on behalf of Beauce-Sud MNA Jonathan Poulin, told Le Devoir the officer “burst into tears. The victim was his friend.”

Premier offers condolences; investigation under way

Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon wrote on X shortly after 1 p.m. that he had just learned of the pilot’s death and offered his sincere condolences to the pilot’s family and loved ones. He said he was following the situation closely and was in touch with Domestic Security Minister Guy Lapointe Jr. about what help the government could offer. Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon, Beauce MP Jason Groleau, Quebec Liberal leader Charles Milliard and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre were among others who offered condolences.

The Sûreté du Québec first said the pilot was seriously injured and in critical condition, then confirmed the death at the scene; CBC reported the death was confirmed shortly before 1:30 p.m., while TVA Nouvelles and Le Journal de Québec reported it was confirmed within the hour after the crash. The SQ’s major-crimes unit has taken the file, to rule out any criminal link, and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada has sent a team of investigators. What caused the plane to go down is not known: witnesses described engine trouble, but that is a witness account, not a finding, and whether a manoeuvre or a mechanical failure was behind the loss of control is for the TSB to determine.

Sources: CBC, Radio-Canada, CTV, Le Journal de Québec, TVA Nouvelles, The Canadian Press, EnBeauce.com, Le Devoir.