Fatal plane crash in South Frontenac

The pilot of an ultralight airplane is dead after the aircraft crashed in the area near Hickey Lane and Buck Bay Road, in South Frontenac, north of Verona, on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.

“At approximately 3:18 p.m. officers from the Frontenac Detachment of the OPP received multiple calls from members of the public indicating they had seen a small plane go down in a wooded area near Buck Bay Rd., close to the southern tip of Bob’s Lake,” OPP confirmed in a release.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has now identified the craft as being a Quad City Challenger II.

South Frontenac Fire Stations 1 & 2 including a boat unit, OPP, and a CH-146 Griffon Search & Rescue helicopter from Trenton’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre responded to the scene shortly thereafter, at around 3:30 p.m.

According to OPP, several members of the public also assisted in the search.

JRCC assisted Frontenac Fire crews in locating the downed aircraft, and attempting to extricate the pilot. The heavily wooded area required responders to use chainsaws to access the scene.

At approximately 4:56 p.m., JRCC located the downed aircraft in the wooded area. The pilot was declared deceased at the scene, and next-of-kin have been notified. The pilot’s identity has not been released at this time.

The Frontenac Detachment of the OPP, along with the Transportation Safety Board and the Chief Coroner’s Office are continuing to investigate the crash.

It is expected that the area will be closed to traffic for a protracted period of time as the investigation is expected to be an extended one. OPP are asking members of the public to not attend the area at this time due to the ongoing investigation.

The OPP would also like to thank all of the members of the public for their assistance in locating the downed aircraft.

Any witnesses are asked to contact Frontenac OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

This is a developing story. Check back for further updates as they become available.