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Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Man killed in aircraft crash worked for Hydro

By: Daniela Germano

Posted: 07/6/2011 1:00 AM | Comments: 0 (including replies)

A 56-year-old Manitoba Hydro employee from Opaskwayak Cree Nation died Monday afternoon after a single-engine aircraft ran off the runway at the airport in Pukatawagan and caught fire.

There were eight passengers and a pilot aboard the plane. All the occupants managed to escape from the wreckage except Glen Ducharme.

The RCMP said the incident began at 4 p.m. when the plane went off the end of the runway during takeoff.

A family member, who asked not to be named, identified the deceased as Ducharme and said he was living in The Pas.

"We found out about it yesterday and I know his wife took the news hard," she said, adding he left behind an 11-year-old daughter.

She said Ducharme was an avid fisher, lover of the outdoors and well-liked in the community.

He was frequently in physical pain, she added, because of a serious head-on automobile collision he was involved in five years ago.

"He ended up in a ditch and was the only survivor," she said. "His two best friends died that day and he never really physically recovered."

Glen Schneider, Manitoba Hydro's public affairs manager, confirmed Tuesday the deceased was a Hydro employee. One other employee on board was taken to hospital but did not sustain serious injuries.

The two men were district service workers in Pukatawagan doing maintenance repairs, he added.

Peter Hildebrand, the Transportation Safety Board's central region manager, said the pilot tried to stop the plane from taking off before it left the runway and fell into a ravine.

"We are still investigating why this happened," Hildebrand said. "It could have been weather, the aircraft or technical problems, but at this point we're still determining what caused the accident."

John Fondse, manager of Missinippi Airways, confirmed the aircraft belonged to the company.

"Missinippi Airways will co-operate fully with the Transportation Safety Board inspectors as they determine the cause of the accident," Fondse said in a prepared statement.

"Our sincere condolences go out to the passenger's family. Our hearts also go out to the other passengers, pilot and their families," he added.

daniela.germano@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 6, 2011 A5

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