2 dead after plane crash near Vermilion Airport: RCMP

Federal investigators have been sent to Vermilion, Alta., after two people died Saturday in a plane crash near the local airport.

The plane crashed about 1.2 kilometres short of the airport runway, just north of the town, killing the pilot and sole passenger, RCMP said.

The pilot was a 46-year-old woman from Slave Lake, Alta. The passenger was a 76-year-old man from Mannville, Alta., police said.

"Shock is going throughout the community," Shawn Jacula, a Vermilion resident and aviator, told CBC News.

"It's something that is just unimaginable heartbreak for two families, two individuals who unfortunately lost their lives today, and it's difficult for everyone involved."

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) sent two investigators to Vermilion, which is roughly 175 kilometres east of Edmonton. The investigators will gather information and assess how the crash happened, according to a news release the agency issued Saturday.

The TSB, an independent federal agency, examines air, marine, pipeline and rail transportation incidents to improve safety. Its investigations do not assign fault, nor determine liability.

In a statement to CBC News, Vermilion deputy mayor Joshua Rayment expressed condolences and thanked first responders for their efforts.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families during this incredibly difficult time, and we want them to know that our community stands with them in their grief," Rayment said.

The crash occurred the same day Vermilion Airport was scheduled to hold an event for Alberta Air Tours, which visits rural communities to promote aviation.

Alberta Air Tours had postponed the event until Sunday, the organization said on Facebook, due to poor weather. It then cancelled the event altogether out of respect after the crash.