In the aftermath of the seaplane accident that claimed the life of a sexagenarian from Shawinigan, in Mauricie, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) opened an investigation on Monday to understand the circumstances surrounding this sad event.

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The plane was pulled from the waters late Sunday evening and transported to a garage in the region to allow the TSB to carry out its investigation. Two experts also inspected the cabin on Monday.

“We are trying to pick up clues that could lead us to know what factors contributed to the crash, explained investigator Mario Goulet. We looked at the marks, we look at the deformations, the position of the instruments and the flight controls. We may be able to extract the data from the GPS. I specify that there is no black box in this type of device, we will not be able to know the path of the plane.

The seaplane having struck a Hydro-Québec high voltage line, the teams from the state-owned company proceeded to develop a strategy for replacing an electrical conductor. Work will be carried out throughout the week to put the damaged electrical wire in order. Residents of the area should not, however, be deprived of electricity.

Several possible hypotheses

Several factors can explain such an accident, believes aviation expert and captain Dominic Daoust. “It's a lot of work for a driver, they have to constantly be on the lookout for their surroundings. Power lines, usually, it's on the maps, it's well marked. Maybe it was just a simple distraction that caused the pilot to miss the power lines,” he said.

The TSB is continuing its analysis and could issue recommendations. However, it is too early to know if he will recommend carrying out a visual identification of the Hydro-Québec wires that cross the body of water.