MONTREAL (AP) — A commuter plane caught fire after takeoff, then crash-landed and exploded Thursday at Mirabel airport near Montreal, killing all 11 people aboard.
The fire broke out minutes after the twin-engine turboprop left Dorval, another Montreal-area airport, on a flight to Peterborough, Ontario.
Federal investigators were examining the wreckage for clues as to why the fire broke out.
The Metroliner commuter plane was owned by Quebec-based Propair, which operates about 2,000 commuter and charter flights a year.
Brian Jenner, president of the association representing Quebec air transporters, called Propair the “cream of the crop” among carriers in the province. He said its safety record was good.
It was the worst plane crash in Canada since March 1989, when 24 people aboard an Air Ontario jet were killed near Dryden, Ontario.
Transport Minister David Collenette said Mirabel airport was the scene of an emergency simulation exercise two weeks ago. Emergency measures at the airport were deemed adequate then, he said.