Former Canadian Minister Jean Lapierre Among 7 Killed in Plane Crash

Eric Chaney
Published: March 30,2016 




 
A small plane crashed Tuesday off an island in eastern Quebec, claiming the life of a former Canadian cabinet minister and six others.
Former federal transportation minister Jean Lapierre was aboard the plane, which crashed on approach to the Havre-aux-Maisons airport in the Iles-de-la-Madeleine, while the region was under an alert for strong winds from Environment Canada.
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Canada's former Minister of Transport Jean Lapierre, shown here in a file photo, was among seven people killed in a plane crash in eastern Quebec.
(AP PHOTO/CP, Fred Chartrand)

"A robust low-pressure system tracked through the Gulf of St. Lawrence on Tuesday," said weather.com meteorologist Quincy Vagell, "and strong winds were reported across the region where the plane crashed, with frequent gusts over 40 mph."
Rain in the area changed to snow during the afternoon, lowering visibility to less than 1 mile at times, Vagell added.
"The crash took place in a field on approach to the airport," Quebec provincial police Sgt. Daniel Thibodeau, who described the weather conditions as "not ideal" for flying, told the Associated Press.
According to several reports, the plane is believed to have been carrying numerous other members of Lapierre's family, the Montreal Gazette said.

This image shows the site of the plane crash on Tuesday, March 29, 2016.
(Twitter/Jonathan Lapierre)

Lapierre was a former member of the Canadian House of Commons and served as Minister of Transport from 2004 to 2006.
TVA Nouvelles confirmed Mr. Lapierre had chartered an aircraft to get to the Iles-de- la-Madeleine to attend the funeral of his father, who died at age 83 as a result of Parkinson's disease.
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The plane, a charter, departed from the St-Hubert airport at about 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning, the Montreal Gazette reported. The plane was a Mitsubishi turboprop and is believed to have belonged to a private company.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is deploying a team of investigators.
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