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Mid-air crashes rare, but some have occurred in Canada

A look at some mid-air crashes in Canada

Two small planes collided over a bustling Quebec shopping mall on Friday. One person was killed and three people were injured. Here is a look at some other mid-air collisions in Canada:

April 8, 1954: A Trans-Canada Airlines Canadair C-4 North Star is struck by a climbing Royal Canadian Air Force Harvard trainer over Moose Jaw, Sask. The crash sends debris raining down on the community and the much larger passenger plane just misses a school full of kids as it plummets to the ground. Thirty-five people on board the passenger plane are killed along with the Harvard pilot and one person on the ground.

Aug. 4, 2006: Three people are killed when two Cessnas collide near Caledon, Ont., not far from Toronto's Pearson International Airport. One of the planes was being flown by an instructor and student. A report into the crash recommended the busy airspace around Pearson be redesigned so that small planes have more room to avoid each other.

May 12, 2012: Four adults and an 11-year-old boy are killed near St. Brieux, Sask., when a small plane heading to a northern fishing camp collides with a plane travelling from Alberta.  A report into the crash concludes the converging position of the two planes would have made it difficult for either to see the oncoming aircraft until it was too late.

June 29, 2013: Four people and a dog are killed when a glider and a Cessna 150 collide in mid-air near Pemberton, B.C., sending debris  down onto a campground in Nairn Falls Provincial Park. The Transportation Safety Board finds the pilots of the glider and the Cessna probably didn't see each other because of blind spots and other visual problems.

June 21, 2015: Two people are killed after two small planes — a Cessna 172 and a Cessna 185 float plane — collide near Fort McMurray, Alta. The float plane lands safely, but the other plane,  flown by an instructor and a student, crashes. A report into the crash says the instructor had three chances to spot the float plane, but the position of the wing and the colour of the other plane against an overcast sky could have played a role in him missing it. 

 

The Canadian Press