CROWN POINT – A mid-air plane collision early this evening (June 14) dumped one airplane in the Ottawa River and forced the other to land in Arnprior, but amazingly no one was seriously injured.

On an idyllic Sunday evening many Constance Bay, Buckham’s Bay and Crown Point residents were at home enjoying their evening by the water when the tranquility was suddenly interrupted by a terrifying scene in the skies above the Ottawa River.

“I pretty much just saw planes collide at roughly a 90-ish degree angle and then watched the float plane go in circles down into the water,” Crown Point resident Cameron Tilley told West Carleton Online this evening. “I then called the police and told them everything.”

Ottawa Fire Station 63 volunteer firefighters from Constance Bay were first on scene followed closely behind by Ottawa Fire Station 62 in Fitzroy Harbour with their water rescue equipment.

“Multiple 911 calls were received by Ottawa fire reporting two small planes had collided mid-air and that one plane had crashed in the river,” Ottawa Fire Service (OFS) public information officer Carson Tharris released in a statement today. “On route, information relayed to fire fighters indicated one occupant of the downed plane was being rescued by personal boats in the area.”

Those boats rescued the pilot whose plane hand landed upside down in roughly nine feet of water. The pilot of the other plane was able to safely land at the South Renfrew Municipal Airport in Arnprior,

“The second plane was confirmed through neighbouring fire dispatch in Arnprior to be headed to that airfield with crews standing by in the event the damage from the crash impacted the landing abilities of the second plane,” Tharris said. “The Arnprior Fire Department has confirmed the second plane involved in the mid-air crash landed safely at the airfield in their jurisdiction.”

Emergency crews including the Ottawa Police Service (OPS), OFS and Ottawa Paramedic Service accessed the crash site from Crown Point. That is where West Carleton Online spoke with OPS incident commander Inspector Rob Bernier.

“We’re not touching anything right now,” Insp. Bernier told West Carleton Online at 5:37 p.m. this evening. “I can’t comment on what the incident is. I can confirm there was an incident involving two planes, that’s what we know and there are no deceased parties.”

Bernier said the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSBC) is responsible for the investigation.

“Anything involving this investigation will come from them,” he said. “The TSBC is going to be here tomorrow. Obviously, it is going to be investigated by the TSBC who are responsible for investigating all matters that involve aircraft.”

Bernier said the OPS’ role is to assist.

“We are the initial emergency response along with our fire partners,” Bernier said. “We are securing the scene, taking witness statements and supporting the TSBC in their investigation.”

Bernier said eight to 10 officers from the OPS are present.

“We have our Marine, Dive and Trail Unit, West Investigations Unit, Forensic Investigation Unit and frontline patrol officer on scene,” Bernier said.

Along with the Station 83 volunteer firefighters, the OFS’ Haz Mat (hazardous materials) team from Kanata were also on scene.

West Carleton Online overheard OFS personnel state there was nothing leaking from the overturned airplane. OFS team members’ role also involved stabilizing the aircraft until the TCSB arrives Monday (June 15).

“The plane will stay where it us until the TCSB arrives tomorrow,” Bernier said.

Constance Bay resident Phil Aldis also witnessed the dramatic rescue from his Ottawa River-adjacent home.

“I did not see the mid-air collision,” Aldis told West Carleton Online. “The mid-air collision was directly over our house. We heard it. I saw the planes immediately after and then I watched the rest unfold. We saw the plane slowly spiral down into the water. The pilot crashed about 500 metres in the river across from my house. It almost hit four boats. We saw fire department securing the float plane. Thank goodness the pilot is okay.”

“Ottawa Fire would like to recognize the quick action of the pleasure boats in the pleasure boats in the area who immediately rushed to the aid of the downed plane,” Tharris said. “A patient is in the care of the Ottawa Paramedic Service.”