A Transport Canada report indicates that a faulty gyroscope may have caused a plane to plummet northeast of Wainwright, killing five people from Edmonton on Friday.
Flight controllers in Edmonton noticed the six-seater Piper PA-46 Malibu was moving erratically. They immediately contacted pilot Reagan Williams who said the there was a problem with the plane's gyroscope.
The plane then made a rapid dive into a wooded area 26 kilometres northeast of Wainwright. The Transportation Safety Board says the plane likely ripped apart in mid-air before it crashed, killing all five people on board the aircraft.
Three of the people aboard the aircraft were employees of A.D. Williams Engineering Inc., a consulting company in Edmonton. The other two are believed to be associates who were catching a ride.
The victims are:
- Reagan Williams, 40, company president
- Phillipe Allard, 33, chief financial officer
- Rhonda Quirke, 36, director, Business Integration and Strategy
- Trevor Korol, 30
- Shaun Stewart, 35
A pilot with Northern Air Charters experienced the fright of a failed gyroscope three years ago. Shannon Smith said it is a rare malfunction, but one that can affect several key instruments that show how level the plane is flying.
"You can get a sense of disorientation very easily," she said.
Smith's experience happened under a clear sky, making it easier for her to maneuver the plane and continue, but on Friday morning RCMP said the conditions near Wainwright were cloudy and foggy.
"It can be very tricky. I haven't lost it (a gyroscope) in cloud personally," said Smith.
The Piper Malibu was a private plane owned by A.D. Williams Engineering Inc., a company that is re-living a tragic case of d�j� vu.
Five months ago the company's founder, Reagan Williams' father, Allen Williams was killed while piloting a plane near Golden B.C. The company's chief financial officer, Steven Sutton, was also killed. Allen Williams' three-year-old granddaughter was also on the flight, but luckily survived.
Family friend and Edmonton MP Rahim Jaffer said the Williams family is doing their best to cope with the horrific loss.
At his father's funeral, Reagan shared his desire to make his father proud.
"He vowed to carry on in his father's footsteps, not only flying but to continue on with the engineering company that's become a landmark here in this city," said Jaffer. "I think the spirit of those two fine gentlemen are going continue on in that company."
Some of the remnants from the plane have made their way back to Edmonton to be examined, but it could take months before the Transportation Safety Board finishes their investigation.
With files from Bill Fortier
