Photo: Taylor Chartrand

By Charles Lefebvre and Scott Roblin: CHAT News

Plane Crash

Three confirmed dead in plane crash outside of Irvine

Jun 3, 2019 | 6:14 AM

CYPRESS COUNTY, AB – Three people are confirmed to have died after a small plane that took off from the Medicine Hat Airport on Saturday crashed into a field outside of Irvine.

According to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the flight departed Medicine Hat at around 10:40 pm and was bound for Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

Media relations specialist Chris Krepski said the plane crashed near the Bull Trail southwest of Irvine shortly after take off.

“The aircraft was an American Aviation AA-5B, they had three people on board,” said Krepski. “About 10 or 20 minutes after take off the aircraft collided with terrain. The three people on board were fatally injured.”

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According to Shane Paton with Alberta Health Services, all three passengers on board the small plane were male and there were no survivors at the scene.

One of the deceased has been identified on social media as 26-year-old Justin Filteau, who was a former member of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and Saskatoon Hilltops football programs.

Filteau was also a former nationally ranked judo competitor, which prompted his mother Nancy Jewitt Filteau to post about her son on the Judo Saskatchewan Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/158916920950217/permalink/1268427769999121/

There is no word yet on the identities of the other two passengers on board the flight.

According to the Transportation Safety Board, they’re beginning their investigation into the crash immediately with the assistance of first responders.

“The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is deploying two investigators to the accident site, who will arrive later [Sunday],” said Krepski.

Redcliff RCMP were notified on Sunday morning after the aircraft failed to report to Moose Jaw and began its investigation.

HALO dispatched both its HALO 1 and HALO 2 helicopters to the scene at around 10:00 am on Sunday morning in conjunction with the Canadian military’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.

Krepski said they aren’t sure how long the investigation on-site will take place and haven’t come to any conclusions yet on a possible cause of the crash.

“Each case is different, it’s difficult to predict,” he said. “However, we’ll take the time necessary to gather the information from the site and from other sources. Then, we’ll determine what the next steps will be.”