Pilot Killed When Small Plane Crashes During Veterans Flypast in Quebec
A small plane crashed in a wooded area of Saint-Georges, in Quebec's Beauce region, on November 11, 2026, killing its pilot, a man in his 60s. The aircraft was flying in a six-plane formation over a veterans' remembrance ceremony. Investigators have been sent to the site.
A small plane crashed in a wooded area of Saint-Georges, in the Beauce region, shortly before noon on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, killing its pilot. The avion Beauce crash happened during a flypast over a remembrance ceremony for veterans. Police confirmed the pilot was a man in his 60s.
Around 11 a.m., six aircraft were flying in a tight formation over the town. The flypast was part of a ceremony for former service members organized by the local branch of the Légion royale canadienne.
The plane caught fire as it hit the ground in a wooded sector near 10th Street and 25th Avenue, not far from the Saint-Georges airport.
What witnesses described
Lily Mercier, a veteran who attended the ceremony, said the six planes were small private aircraft owned by friends. One plane was supposed to peel away from the group, a movement symbolizing a fallen soldier. Mercier said it made a strange maneuver instead.
Emilie Grégoire watched from the second floor of her office near the airport. She wrote on social media that one plane appeared to be in trouble and flying much lower than the others. She then saw it disappear behind the trees, followed by black smoke.
Ceremony interrupted
Members of Parliament, legionnaires and the mayor were at the ceremony. An aviation officer interrupted it to announce the pilot's death soon after the crash, Mercier said. The officer then collapsed. He was the pilot's friend, she said.
Pilots have flown over the town on this day for several years, Mercier said, adding that the group is used to flying together. She said she was still in shock. The pilot who died had been symbolizing a veteran in the flypast, she said.
Investigation and reaction
The Bureau de la sécurité des transports, the federal transport safety investigator, sent a team to the site to look into the causes and circumstances of the crash.
Saint-Georges Mayor Manon Bougie learned of the crash live at the ceremony. She called it an unimaginable event and said the town is a small community. Bougie has lived in Saint-Georges all her life. She said the aerial tribute has been held for at least about ten years, and that this year's ceremony will never be forgotten in the town.
She offered her sincere sympathies to the pilot's family, loved ones and everyone affected.
Jason Groleau, the federal member of Parliament for Beauce, was also at the ceremony. He wrote on social media that the community had witnessed a terrible tragedy on a day set aside to honor those who served the country.
Steven MacKinnon, the federal transport minister, said on X that he learned of the news with sadness. He said his thoughts were with the pilot's family, loved ones and everyone affected.
