CALEDON, Ont. (CP) — One of the small planes involved in a deadly midair collision about 60 kilometres north of Toronto was carrying a flight instructor and a student.
The Transportation Safety Board has confirmed one of the single-engine, propeller-driven planes was carrying a flight instructor and student from the Brampton Flying Club when it collided Friday with a slightly larger plane flying from Burlington.
Police have identified the occupants of the Brampton plane as 28-year-old Ryan Sumere and Vinoo Abraham, 26, both of Mississauga.
Board investigator Rae Simpson said it was unclear whether the student or the instructor was operating the Brampton plane at the time of the collision.
“We know that the Brampton Flying Club plane was returning to Brampton from a training area that was a bit to the north of where the accident took place,” he said.
“The other aircraft had left Burlington and was destined for Parry Sound,” he added.
The pilot of the second plane has been identified as 57-year-old David Morton of Burlington.
Ontario Provincial Police were called at about 12:40 p.m. Friday after receiving word that a plane had plunged to the ground, landing in a farmer’s field.
Everette Ruggles was just sitting down for an afternoon coffee at his kitchen table when the accident happened.
“It landed 60 to 70 feet away from my kitchen window . . . it really freaked me out,” he said.
His six-year-old son also witnessed the final moments before the planes hit the ground. The boy saw a wheel falling and a plane spiralling down in circles through the air, Ruggles said.
“He’s a little shaken.”
It’s still not clear what led to the collision, which occurred under clear, sunny skies.
Simpson said midair collisions are very rare but do happen in situations when pilots are flying by visual flight rules, which means they are at a low enough altitudes to navigate without direction from air traffic control.
Investigators expected to remove the planes debris from the crash sites late Saturday. They will work through the week trying to piece together what happened.
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