Canadian Pilot charged with Criminal Negligence in crash
Pilot charged in city plane crash
WINNIPEG - Winnipeg Police have laid charges against the pilot of a plane that crashed at Logan Avenue and McPhillips Street Winnipeg in June 2002.
The Piper Navajo Chieftan aircraft, owned by Keystone Air, was carrying six passengers and the pilot. It collided with several vehicles before coming to a stop in the middle of the street.
All of the passengers survived the crash with varying injuries, but one man, Chester Jones, died a few months after the accident as a result of his injuries.
After a lengthy investigation in co-operation with Transport Canada, police have charged the pilot – a 36-year-old Calgary man – with criminal negligence causing death, four counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, and dangerous operation of an aircraft.
In April 2003, the Transportation Safety Board released a report on the accident saying the pilot was flying too high and too fast to make a successful landing at the Winnipeg Airport, and when he tried to go around for another approach, both of the plane's engines stopped because they ran out of fuel.
The report also says the pilot didn't tell air traffic controllers about his critical situation soon enough, and the aircraft did not meet regulations for the flight because it did not have an autopilot system.
The pilot will appear in court in Winnipeg later this year.