Weekend aircraft crashes near Lacombe, Westlock leave 1 person dead, at least 4 in hospital

Pilot killed, passenger in hospital after plane crash The crash happened northeast of Lacombe on Saturday afternoon.

Edmonton — Transportation Safety Board investigators are looking into a pair of unrelated aircraft crashes in central Alberta over the Thanksgiving weekend.

A male pilot is dead and his male passenger is in hospital with serious injuries after an aircraft went down Saturday afternoon in a rural area northeast of Lacombe, Alta.

Blackfalds RCMP say officers responded to a distress beacon from an aircraft near Range Road 241 and Township Road 412.

Mounties say the male pilot was found dead at the scene. His passenger was taken to an Edmonton-area hospital.

The TSB couldn't yet specify what type of aircraft was involved, describing it only as "small."

In a seperate crash, Westlock RCMP responded to a plane crash at the Westlock airport in Clyde, about 90 kilometres north of Edmonton just after 11 a.m. Sunday morning.

Mounties say the plane had flipped and sustained serious damage. Police did not have details on how badly the four people on board were injured.

Three of those on the plane were taken to hospital, and Mounties say the status of the fourth person is unknown.

TSB investigators are on their way to investigate both crashes.