What happened
On the night of 15 September 2025, a Piper PA-28-140 departed from Orillia Rama Regional Aerodrome, Ontario, bound for Toronto/Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. The aircraft was carrying a pilot and two passengers.
While cruising at 3000 feet, the aircraft began its descent toward the destination. During the process of retarding the throttle, the engine ceased producing power. Following the loss of power, the pilot attempted to restart the engine, but the effort was unsuccessful. After notifying Toronto City Tower of the emergency, the pilot decided to perform a forced landing in a nearby soccer field that was under illumination.
During the approach to the landing site, the aircraft struck a chain-link fence before coming to a stop. While the aircraft suffered substantial damage, the passenger compartment remained intact, and there were no injuries reported among the three occupants.
The investigation
TSB investigators arrived at the scene on the day of the accident to gather data and evaluate the site conditions. The investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the engine failure and the impact with the fence.