LA MINERVE, Que. - A 33-year-old man is dead after his plane went down in a wooded area in the Laurentian mountains north of Montreal.

Quebec provincial police say the man was the only person aboard the Cessna airplane when it crashed on Saturday near the village of La Minerve.

A witness first alerted authorities shortly before 2 p.m. when he noticed a plane appeared to be having difficulty while still in the air.

After police were able to locate the downed aircraft, the man was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

An investigation will be conducted into the crash.