Man killed in southern Manitoba plane crash remembered by friends as 'extremely knowledgeable' pilot

Friends of a man killed when his single-engine plane crashed in Manitoba field on Saturday say he was a knowledgeable and passionate pilot who had just earned his recreational pilot licence earlier this spring. 

On Sunday, the Winnipeg chapter of the Experimental Aviation Association posted a statement on Facebook mourning the loss of member Peter Toth. 

Chapter president James Slade said Toth was one of the group's "most active members," who was always keen to share his aircraft expertise and passion for small planes, including on his "Challenger 2 Aircraft Adventures" page on YouTube. 

"He was just delightful to be around because he was extremely knowledgeable. You could ask him about virtually any topic and he would have something to say about it — and he was informed on it as well."

Slade said Toth was thrilled to receive his recreational flying permit and was working toward his float rating to fly seaplanes. 

"He completed the recreational permit and he just got that this spring. He was so proud to see that he had completed the coursework and the flight training for it."

Slade said Toth was meticulous when it came to working on planes, helping others while fixing up his own aircraft.

"He would always be the one I would ask to double check my work if he was around," Slade said. "He was always very conscious about getting things done right." 

Slade confirmed that it was Toth's Quad City Challenger II ultralight aircraft that crashed in a field near Dugald, Man., on Saturday morning. Slade said Toth's plane was scheduled to fly that day and his plane was missing from the hangar. 

The body of a man was recovered from the plane, RCMP said in a news release on Sunday. 

Witness Darrin Bonnett was driving toward Winnipeg on Highway 15 when he saw the plane plummet. 

"Just out of the corner of my eye, I saw something coming down from the sky. As I looked over, there was what appeared to be an aircraft spiralling straight down towards the ground," he said. 

Bonnett, who's trained as an emergency medical responder, said he pulled over to call 911 and stayed on the line with the dispatcher as he jumped out of his vehicle and headed to the crash site. 

He described the scene as "carnage."

"Had I not seen it come down from the sky, I would not have assumed it was an airplane from the wreckage that I saw. It was just a twisted wreck," Bonnet said.

The Transportation Safety Board, which is responsible for investigating transportation accidents, said it has deployed a team of investigators to gather information and assess the accident.