Three Quebec residents die in Ontario crash, 4th in Winnipeg hospital

Three people have died in a small plane crash near the northern Ontario community of Pickle Lake.

PICKLE LAKE, Ont. -- Ontario Provincial Police have identified three Quebec men killed in a plane crash in remote northern Ontario.

Police say 57-year-old pilot Michel Nadeau, and passengers 54-year-old Bernard Mailloux and 27-year-old Yanick Fournier, all of Trois Rivieres, died in the crash which took place Tuesday night near Pickle Lake.

A 53-year-old male passenger, also from Trois Rivieres, remains in a Winnipeg-area hospital in stable condition.

Investigators say the privately-owned Lake 250 was travelling from Lac La Biche, Alta., to Trois Rivieres, with a planned refuelling stop en route.

Shortly before the crash, the pilot contacted Pickle Lake Airport indicating an intent to land, but contact was lost with the aircraft and an emergency beacon was detected a few minutes later.

Transportation Safety Board investigators are being assisted by provincial police in clearing a path to the crash site and with evidence retrieval.