Plane crashes in Saskatoon, kills 1

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Emergency crews were dispatched to the scene of a plane crash in Saskatoon. (Britainy Robinson/CBC)A twin-engine plane has crashed near a grocery store in northeast Saskatoon, killing one person and injuring two others.

Emergency crews were dispatched to the scene around 6:30 p.m. CST.

Witnesses say the five-seater aircraft hit a concrete barrier adjacent to Wanuskewin Road, a major thoroughfare in Saskatoon's northeast.

No vehicles were hit.

CBC News was told the aircraft was a geological survey plane, a type of small aircraft used for aerial surveys.

A motorist who saw the crash told CBC News that he saw one person walk away from the scene and another person who was clearly injured.

MD Ambulance reported Friday night that one person was dead at the scene. No information about the victim was disclosed.

The plane was about 10 metres from a residential area and just across the street from a grocery store.

Passing motorists were among the first to provide help on the scene.

"You get out and try to help however we can," Dustin MacMillan told CBC News. "Very, very challenging moment and my thoughts are with the family."

"I ran back towards the wreckage and the pilot was being pulled out and I helped get him across the street, away from the plane just in case there was fire," said Dave Scarfe, who also helped.

Fire crews alerted at 6:20 p.m.

Saskatoon Fire department officials said they were alerted to the plane's engine troubles at 6:20 p.m. Friday and were put on "standby" at the airport.

In a news release, officials said the plane had lost power to one engine.

"At 18:31 as the aircraft was on approach, it lost power," officials said in a news release. "The aircraft attempted a forced approach on the northbound lane of Wanuskewin Road and ended with the aircraft impacting on top of the sound barrier wall.

"Fire crews were on scene in under three minutes."

There was no fire after the crash, the fire department said.

Pilot and co-pilot survive

According to the ambulance service, the pilot, a 41-year-old man, and the co-pilot, a 57-year-old man, suffered minor injuries and were taken to Saskatoon's Royal University Hospital in stable condition.

Emergency crews at the scene told CBC News it was a miracle that more people were not hurt.

There was a considerable amount of debris in the area. Police closed several nearby streets for part of the evening. As of 8:30 p.m. Friday, Wanuskewin Road between 51st Street and Goerzen Street was still blocked off, but other routes that had been closed were open to traffic again.

Officials from Transport Canada offices in Winnipeg were en route Friday night to begin an investigation.

Fire department officials said the plane had lost power in an engine and was on its way to the airport for an emergency landing when it lost all power. CBC

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