Ontario Provincial Police say two people aboard a Cessna 150 were taken to hospital, one with critical injuries, after their small plane crashed on the centre median of Highway 401 west of the Quebec border Monday night.
The craft caught power lines as it was attempting an emergency landing, the OPP said Tuesday morning, and crashed in front of the Bainsville ONroute in South Glengarry Township just before 8:15 p.m.
One occupant, who was seriously injured but is expected to recover, was taken to hospital by ambulance. A second was airlifted to hospital by Ornge helicopter with life-threatening injuries, police said.
An initial investigation indicates that the plane had mechanical problems after taking off from the airport in Valleyfield, Que.
The Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday morning that it has deployed a team of investigators to probe the accident near Bainsville and was “gathering information and assessing the occurrence.”
The independent agency investigates air, marine, pipeline, and rail transportation occurrences aiming to advance transportation safety, not assign fault or determine civil or criminal liability.
There were closures on Highway 401 for hours with Ministry of Transportation reporting the all clear at 4:15 a.m.
