Pilot killed in plane crash near Sussex identified
Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigating crash
The pilot killed in a plane crash last week near Sussex has been identified as Douglas (Dug) Francis of Kingston.
The 67-year-old died last week after his small personal plane crashed after take off at a private airstrip in Wards Creek.
An obituary for Francis, born in Saint John, was posted on Sherwood's Funeral Home website. The plane was registered in Francis's name since 2017, Transport Canada records indicate.
A family member declined an interview Monday.
Visiting at the funeral home has been scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Norton followed by a celebration of Francis's life Wednesday evening.
The crash was reported shortly after 6:30 p.m. on July 3 after the plane took off from an airstrip on Marshall Hill Road south of Sussex. It crashed into a cornfield a short distance away.
Police said the pilot was the lone occupant of the single-engine dual-seat private aircraft and died of his injuries at the scene.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating the crash of the kit-built Zenith STOL CH 750.
Investigators are examining the pilot's licence, the maintenance history of the plane and the weather at the time of the crash.