A federal agency took charge of investigating a plane crash near Springbank Airport on Friday afternoon.

Workers from the Canadian Transportation Safety Board (TSB) were at the scene Friday evening and Saturday morning.
Eyewitnesses on that part of the road on Friday said they saw a plane heading north after 3:30 pm.

An eyewitness said they were able to extinguish a small fire and pull a passenger from the plane. "A 22-year-old woman was also transported by ambulance to a nearby hospital," said RCMP Const.

Lindsey Ralph said, "Police quickly arrived at the scene, as did emergency services and the fire department."

The woman is in critical condition while the pilot, a 45-year-old man, was declared dead at the scene.

According to the aircraft tail number, it is a 1981 Mooney M20K model, a single piston aircraft.

It appears to be privately owned.