What happened
On the night of 04 September 2019, a Cessna 172M, registered as C-GSEN, departed from Montréal International (Mirabel) Airport, Quebec. The aircraft, operated by Cargair Ltd., was performing a night visual flight rules (VFR) flight intended to travel to Sherbrooke Airport and return to Mirabel. The pilot was the sole occupant of the aircraft.
At approximately 21:47 Eastern Daylight Time, while flying roughly 19 nautical miles northwest of Sherbrooke Airport, the aircraft entered instrument meteorological conditions and subsequently vanished from radar tracking. Following a search, the wreckage was located on 07 September 2019 in a dense forest area near Racine, Quebec. The impact with trees caused the destruction of the aircraft, resulting in one fatality for the pilot. There was no fire reported at the crash site, and the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter failed to send a signal.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the flight path and the environmental conditions present during the flight. Investigators established that the aircraft encountered weather conditions that were no longer suitable for VFR operations. The wreckage analysis confirmed that the aircraft struck trees with significant force, leading to the fatal outcome.