Brampton couple die in plane crash
Brantford airport manager called police after seeing wreckage Tuesday morning
A BRAMPTON COUPLE is dead after a small plane crashed at the Brantford Municipal Airport.
County of Brant OPP responded to the airport at 110 Aviation Ave. around 8 a.m. Tuesday for a Piper Arrow that went down on the airport’s property overnight.
Both occupants of the plane died, according to OPP. Police identified them as husband and wife Ronald Chamberlain, 76, and Mildred Chamberlain, 81, from Brampton.
While the airport is located in the County of Brant, it is managed by the City of Brantford. The airport’s manager discovered the scene before 8 a.m. and called police, said Maria Visocchi, the city’s director of communications and community engagement.
While it’s not yet known exactly what caused the small aircraft to go down or when it did, she said it’s believed to have happened overnight because there was snow on the private plane when staff spotted it.
Given that the airport is located in a rural area, it’s not unusual that no one would be aware of the crash until staff arrived at work this morning, she said.
“There wasn’t an explosion, there wasn’t a fire,” she said.
The airport is staffed seven days a week, from dawn until dusk, Visocchi said. There is not an air traffic control tower on site, she said.
Visocchi said pilots can activate runway lighting from the cockpit of the plane by dialing into the frequency of the airport.
It’s not yet known if that happened in this case, she said.
The airport is used by private aircraft and commercial airlines carrying cargo, Visocchi added.
“Our staff just upon discovering it felt like they recognized the aircraft,” she added.
Visocchi stressed how “saddened” the city is about the crash.
“Obviously, our hearts go out to the families,” she said.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has deployed two investigators to the site.
A spokesperson said generally an investigation could include speaking to first responders, collecting communications and radar data, taking photos, speaking to witnesses and family members and looking at weather conditions as well as aircraft maintenance and pilot training records.
Investigators were working Tuesday afternoon to recover the aircraft, which will be stored at the airport, a spokesperson said.
Anyone with information can contact OPP at 1-888-310-1122.
In 2014, pilot John Pearson, 65, of St. George was killed after his small plane crashed just southeast of the Brantford Municipal Airport.