A small aircraft carrying three people crashed on Riverside Drive, just west of Ottawa’s international airport, Thursday evening. The Ottawa plane crash happened just before 6 p.m. near West Hunt Club Road. One resident shared a photo showing the wrecked plane stuck in the trees.
Emergency crews arrived at 5:55 p.m. and rescued a man and a woman. They transported both to the hospital in stable condition. Their injuries did not threaten their lives. Paramedic spokesperson Marc Antoine Deschamps said the rescue required intense effort due to the crash site’s complexity.
Authorities had not yet confirmed the third person’s condition at the time of reporting.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada sent two investigators to the site. Officials identified the aircraft as a privately registered Grumman AA-5A. Despite the crash, the Ottawa airport continued normal operations, as confirmed by the airport authority.
Greg Carter, who lives nearby, heard a loud crash during a walk. He thought a tree had fallen, but quickly realized the sound came from a plane hitting power lines. Sparks flew as the lines popped and flashed. Hydro Ottawa cut the power before the rescue to ensure safety.
Carter moved toward the scene and saw the plane suspended in the air. He looked through the windows and spotted one person in the right seat and another in the back. He couldn’t see anyone in the pilot’s seat.
Another witness, Pablo Coles, saw the plane flying unusually low before hearing the crash. He called 911, thinking it had struck a neighbor’s house. Outside, he saw the plane hanging in the trees and tangled with power lines. He also noticed gasoline leaking.
Ottawa Fire Services worked to stop the fuel from spilling into a creek leading to the Rideau River. Public information officer Nick DeFazio said teams applied foam to manage the runoff.
Coles later saw emergency workers escorting one of the survivors. “I am very sad for the people inside,” he said.
