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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Investigators try to unravel fatal crash

By: Carol Sanders

Posted: 08/25/2012 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 | Last Modified: 08/25/2012 3:23 PM | Updates

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS archives Gilbert Bourrier's Acro Sport II biplane at the Lyncrest Airfield for an event two months ago.

Amateur-built plane accidents

Since 2007, there have been 1,024 accidents involving small airplanes in Canada.

180 of those accidents involved small, amateur-built airplanes -- 20 of which were fatal accidents resulting in 25 deaths.

Since 2007, there have been 74 accidents involving small airplanes in Manitoba.

Five of those accidents involved small amateur-built airplanes. Just one -- Wednesday's biplane crash -- was fatal.

-- source: Transportation Safety Board of Canada

The wreckage of a homemade biplane is being examined while Manitoba's flying community mourns two of its members killed in a crash Wednesday in Manitou.

Tony Butt, 48, and Gilbert Bourrier, 64, died when the open-cockpit plane suddenly rolled then dove nose-first into a lagoon shortly after takeoff.

Investigators are trying to find out why the Acro Sport II crashed.

Bourrier built the biplane in 2006 and would've had it inspected by Transport Canada before it was registered to fly, said Peter Hildebrand, the Transportation Safety Board's regional manager.

The biplane wreckage has been moved to the Transportation Safety Board's shop in Winnipeg for a thorough inspection, he said. Crash investigators have looked at some of the biplane parts already.

"There's no technical fault discovered to date," he said. "There's no evidence from people who heard the plane take off then crash that the motor cut out or malfunctioned.

"We're not so much concerned with the engine at this stage, but the controls and the structure because that would affect someone's ability (to safely land the plane). If the engine stopped, you'd have to make a forced landing. That's not the situation here. Our information is the engine was producing normal power throughout the flight."

They'll also be looking at the chief medical examiner's report on "all manner of things" including toxicology tests and the physical health of the deceased to see if that played a role in the fatal crash, Hildebrand said.

Bourrier was in the final stages of receiving training from Butt on the high-performance aerobatic plane. The members of the Springfield Flying Club were renowned for sharing their love of aviation, said Bill Zuk, the former executive director of the Manitoba Aviation Council.

"Lyncrest and the Springfield club were a beehive for recreational flyers," said Zuk. "Mostly, it was a family kind of affair. You bring your passion along with your family."

Zuk and Bourrier were going to work together on a project to involve young people in learning about planes and flight through building model aircraft. Zuk was representing the Air Cadet League of Canada while Gilbert was part of the vibrant Lyncrest Airport/Springfield Flying Club scene.

"We were just ready to do it this year," said Zuk. "Kids would have a chance to build something they could fly, to assemble the pieces that went into making an airplane."

Bourrier already had kids at the flying club building small balsa wood models, Zuk added.

"Gilbert was keen to have kids learning from the ground up. As young kids, it was their first experience to see something they made with their own hands take to the sky."

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 25, 2012 A10

History

Updated on Saturday, August 25, 2012 at 10:39 AM CDT: adds fact box

3:23 PM: corrects builder of plane

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