The aircraft carrying former MP Jean Lapierre had been cleared to approach the runway at a Quebec airport before it crashed, investigators said Friday.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says the aircraft was cleared for an instrument approach on a misty, rainy afternoon near the Iles-de-la-Madeleine airport, shortly before it smashed into a hill nearby. The aircraft skidded 91 metres from the point of initial impact, and the wreckage was contained in a 150-metre square area, according to initial findings.
An instrument approach involves relying on an aircraft's instruments to reach the runway, in instances when clouds or weather make it difficult to visually navigate.
The exact cause of the crash is not known at this time, and all information at this point is considered preliminary.
Lapierre, a former Liberal MP-turned-political commentator, was killed in the crash on Tuesday along with his wife, his two brothers, his sister and two pilots.
The TSB says it has wrapped up its initial examination of the crash site, and is now in the process of transporting the wreckage to a lab in Ottawa for further analysis. Eyewitnesses have also been interviewed, and investigators will now turn their attention to analyzing maintenance records, pilot training records and air traffic communications from the time of the collision.
According to preliminary findings, the aircraft's engines were producing power, and the aircraft was "near wings level in a slight nose-high attitude at impact," the TSB said in a statement.
The plane was not outfitted with a black box flight recorder, but investigators are looking to retrieve a GPS tracking device they believe was installed on the aircraft. Investigators said such a device would have voice-recording capability, though it likely would have been damaged or destroyed in the crash.
Andre Turenne, the TSB's senior investigator on the case, said his team also plans to look into the design and history of the MU-2 aircraft involved in the crash.
"The investigation will examine previous occurrences with this type of aircraft," he told reporters on Friday.
Turenne said a high number of accidents take place during the approach-and-landing stage of flight.
The TSB hopes to release a report into the crash within the year, he said.
"The entire process will be lengthy, but we owe it to the people and the families of those involved in the accident to conduct a thorough investigation," Turenne said.
With files from CTV Montreal
