Cargo plane crashes in Winnipeg, killing pilot
CTV.ca News Staff
Although a Federal Express plane that crashed in Winnipeg Thursday was carrying potentially dangerous viruses, including herpes and influenza, the risk appears to be minimal as investigators sift through the site.
The Cessna 208, beginning a regular delivery route between Winnipeg and Thunder Bay, crashed minutes after take-off at about 6 a.m. Thursday morning.
It came down on the CN mainline railway tracks in Osborne Village, a busy part of the city centre, and subsequently burst into flames. The only casualty was the pilot, Nancy Chase-Allen, 49, of New Brunswick. She had been with Morningstar Air Express, a FedEx contractor, for about five years.
An investigator from the Transportation Safety Board, Ross Peden, said the viruses were destroyed in the blaze, and the site was not considered dangerous.
"There is no danger to the public or workers at this time," he said.
Police said it was almost a miracle that the plane avoided contact with the many buildings and vehicles in the area, just as rush hour began.
"It has crashed on railway tracks and does not appear to have collided with any other objects, houses or cars," police Sgt. Shelly Glover told the Canadian Press. "There are some taller buildings so it is quite incredible that nothing was struck."
Onlookers agreed.
"I think she was trying to avoid casualties on the ground," one eye-witness told CTV.
It's not unusual for FedEx couriers to transport potentially dangerous viruses by vehicle or by plane. It happens every day in Canada, and as long as the drivers or pilots are properly qualified, licensed and trained to handle the material it is within Transport Canada safety requirements.
But this is the second accident involving potentially dangerous viruses in less than a year in Winnipeg. In March, a FedEx van carrying anthrax and other biological agents was side-swiped in traffic.
NDP MP Pat Martin says something has to change.
"There are weak links here. We won't tolerate it in our community," he said. "We want an inquiry and we want better security measures."
A Toronto spokeswoman for FedEx, Karen Cooper, said the vials were to be sent to Thunder Bay for research purposes.
Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the crash. Winnipeg has experienced a cold-snap recently, with light snow and temperatures hovering around 0* Celcius, and police believe weather may have played a factor.
The Cessna was built in the 1990s, and had just over 6,000 hours of flight time logged, well within acceptable standards, according to Dan Boettcher, a spokesman for Morningstar Air Express, of Edmonton
