What happened
On the evening of 2 October 2021, a Cessna 172M, registered as C-FFRV, was performing a visual flight rules aerial advertising mission near Montréal, Quebec. The aircraft, operated by Publicité AERO-GRAMME Inc., departed from St-Mathieu-de-Laprairie Aerodrome (CML8) with one pilot and one passenger on board.
While traversing the St. Lawrence River near the Concorde Bridge, the aircraft experienced a loss of engine power. In an attempt to perform an emergency landing, the pilot directed the plane toward Pierre-Dupuy Avenue in the Ville-Marie borough. During this maneuver, the left wing of the aircraft made contact with treetops. This contact caused the aircraft to cartwheel and strike the ground, subsequently resulting in a post-impact fire. The pilot sustained serious injuries and successfully exited the wreckage, but the passenger sustained fatal injuries and could not evacuate. The aircraft was destroyed in the crash.
The investigation
Investigators examined the sequence of events leading to the loss of power and the subsequent impact. The investigation noted that no signal was received from the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter. The scope of the inquiry focused on the mechanical failure and the environmental conditions present during the flight.