According to Ottawa police, the suspect in this case managed to take off the plane “but because it did not reach the necessary altitude, it crashed to the ground, impacting two parked planes in the process.”
The damage is significant.
“The plane is in a field. The plane is destroyed. I also noticed a debris field leading to the two planes parked next to the crash. I noticed the damage to the propellers and windshields of the planes,” Vincent Charron, a professional pilot, Rockcliffe Airport member and aircraft owner, who responded to the scene on Friday morning, shared with Law.
Police arrived at the scene around 6:40 pm on Thursday.
The suspect, a 64-year-old man, was arrested at the scene and later taken to hospital with minor injuries, said the Ottawa Police Service, which is investigating the matter. Charges have been filed against the individual for theft of more than $5,000 and dangerous operation of a conveyance.
According to Charrón, the tarps that protect the wings and tail of the plane in question were quickly torn off and abandoned on the ground, which is not normal.
“The owner of an airplane will tighten his tarps. He will keep them in a box or in his vehicle or on the plane itself. We see that he was hasty. “I saw tools and objects on the ground that had no place there,” he observed.
The expert describes the event as “very unusual.”
“With almost 40 years of aviation experience, I have never seen an event like this,” he said.
Located east of the city, not far from Parliament Hill, Ottawa-Rockcliffe Airport, a former military base, is the home port for many small Cessna-type aircraft.
The premises are secured with a fence. A key is required to enter the airport perimeter.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is aware of the incident.
“We are gathering information and coordinating with law enforcement, but have not sent investigators to the scene,” the federal agency said Friday morning.
