Investigators sift through wreckage of small-plane crash that killed 2 in Deer Lake

Transportation officials are combing through the wreckage of a small plane after a two people died near a west Newfoundland airport over the weekend.

In a statement released Monday, the RCMP said there were two people on board the aircraft that crashed near the Deer Lake Regional Airport on Saturday evening

The pilot, a 54-year-old man, and the lone passenger, a 27-year-old man, were both pronounced dead at the scene. 

Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigators have been at the scene since Sunday to conduct the field stage of their investigations. 

TSB investigator Allan Chaulk told CBC his team is analyzing the wreckage and the marks left on the Trans-Canada Highway near the airport.

"One of the reasons we look at the ground scars and the position of the aircraft as it came to rest is it tells us a lot about its attitude when it struck the ground." he said. 

Chaulk expects the field investigation to conclude in the next day or so. Then, he says, the debris will be gathered and shipped for further analysis.

"We may retain certain parts of the aircraft, engines, props, whatever we deemed necessary," he said.

WATCH |  The CBC's Colleen Connors has the latest on a plane crash that killed 2 people in Deer Lake:

2 dead as investigators comb through ash and rubble of plane crash near Deer Lake

9 hours ago

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The possibilities of what happened to cause the twin-engine plane to go down are “numerous,” according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada’s Allan Chaulk. The CBC’s Colleen Connors was on site and explains what happened before the plane crashed and what comes next for the investigation.

The investigation into the crash will take time to solve. Chaulk said some of the information behind the crash wouldn't have been lost with the debris.

"Certain aircraft instrumentation that may retain what we call non volatile memory. In other words, it won't disappear when the power goes away from the aircraft," he said.

"Investigations are seldom solved right here," Chaulk said. 

Officers responded to reports of a plane crash by the TCH near the airport around 5:35 p.m. on Saturday.

In response, the police closed the highway for hours to help get emergency personnel to the site, the RCMP said in a statement Monday.

Officers are continuing to secure the site to preserve potential evidence and keep the public safe, the force said.

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