The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has finished its on-site examination of the plane crash that killed seven people in the Iles de la Madeleine on Tuesday.
André Turenne of the TSB said on Friday that the agency has taken multiple aerial photos of the wreckage of the Mitsubishi MU-2 plane crash, and will soon begin removing the debris.
So far the TSB has determined that visibility was very poor on Tuesday, and that the plane was cleared to land on an "instrument approach," meaning the pilot could not reliably see the ground before landing.
Turenne said both engines were working at the moment of the crash, and the wings were nearly horizontal, which is consistent with a plane preparing to land.
Turenne said the plane did not have a black box recorder, but it is believed to have been carrying a GPS tracking device.
"The team will recover the device for further analysis," said Turenne.
He said the wreckage will be loaded into a truck and hauled away to the TSB lab in Ottawa within the next few days.
In the weeks and months to come the TSB will carefully examine every scrap of debris to determine if the plane crash was due to a mechanical failure.
The TSB will also conduct follow-up interviews with witnesses if necessary.
"We aim to deliver a report in a year," but it could take longer.
Turenne acknowledged that the plane which crashed had a history of a large number of fatal crashes which declined after the FAA instructed pilots to get more training.
"Regarding the Mitsubishi MU-2B accident history the investigation will examine previous occurrences with this type of aircraft and subsequent safety action taken in Canada, the United States and other jurisdictions. The entire process will be lengthy, but we owe it to the people and the families of those involved in the accident to conduct a thorough investigation," he said.
Jean Lapierre, his wife Nicole Beaulieu, his two brothers Marc and Louis and his sister Martine died in the crash. They were travelling to the island to attend Lapierre’s father’s funeral, who died Easter weekend.
Pilot Pascal Gosselin and co-pilot Fabrice Labourel were flying the Mitsubishi turboprop. Their remains should be transported to Montreal on Friday where they will undergo autopsies.
A funeral service for the six members of the Lapierre family will take place on Friday April 8, 2016 in the St. Francis Xavier church.
While the service will be held on the Iles de la Madeleine, it is not certain if every person will be buried on the island.
A commemorative service will take place on April 16 at the St. Viateur Church in Outremont.
