Pilots in Quebec collision didn’t respect rules: TSB

MONTREAL — The Transportation Safety Board says two pilots involved in a fatal mid-air collision over a busy suburban Montreal shopping mall in March 2017 weren’t adhering to altitude restrictions.

In a report released Wednesday, Canada’s transport safety watchdog says neither pilot respected restrictions set out by air traffic control at nearby St-Hubert Airport. Both pilots were flying solo.

A Cessna 152 operated by a pilot undergoing commercial training with Cargair was returning to the airport from a training session and collided with another Cessna 152 that had taken off from the airport. The planes collided 457 metres above Promenades St-Bruno, with one pilot killed and the other one seriously injured. One plane landed in the parking lot while the other crashed on the roof of the shopping centre.

The Cargair plane descended 30 metres below its restricted altitude level of 488 metres while trying to fix a telecommunication issue, while the other plane climbed 121 metres above its restricted level of 335 metres, colliding with the Cargair plane from below. Neither pilot saw the other aircraft.