1 dead in small-plane crash near Stratford, Ont., airport
Plane didn't originate at Stratford Municipal Airport, says general manager
One person has died in a small-plane crash Tuesday morning near the Stratford, Ont., airport, provincial police have confirmed.
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) West Region said it closed Perth Line 43 between Perth Road 109 and Perth Road 110 as Transport Canada investigates.
Const. Kim Lyon of Perth OPP has been at the scene with officers and emergency responders who were called around 9 a.m. ET.
"It's a small plane. I believe it carries more than one passenger," said Lyon. "I can't confirm exactly what kind of plane it is at this time."
The plane didn't leave from the Stratford Municipal Airport, general manager Andy Woodham told CBC News. It crashed outside the airport's property.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is deploying a team of investigators to gather information and assess what may have happened.
Stratford airport a 'busy spot'
The Stratford Municipal Airport is six kilometres north of the city, technically in the Township of Perth East.
According to its website, 13,000 flights move in and out of the airport each year — for corporate, freight training and recreational flights — but there are no scheduled flights.
It's considered an "uncontrolled" airport, said Woodham.
"We do not have a control tower here. We really aren't able to see when an aircraft is coming or going."
Still, Woodham called it a "busy spot," bigger than the Guelph Airport and comparable to the Collingwood Regional Airport.