Jean Lapierre’s relative has own close call after plane crash

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Denis Frechette was halfway through his flight to these windswept islands to mourn five in-laws killed in a plane crash – including former MP and star Quebec commentator Jean Lapierre – when the propeller to his left stopped spinning.

After a series of events this week that started Monday with the natural death of family patriarch Raymond Lapierre, then the plane crash the next day that killed four of his five children and a daughter-in-law as they rushed to be at his widow's side, Mr. Frechette wondered for a second whether the family was cursed.

"I admit there was a moment where the thought crossed my mind. I thought, 'No, this can't be,'" said Mr. Frechette, the husband of Laure Lapierre – the sole survivor of five Lapierre siblings. "I felt safe after that initial moment because the pilots did a great job and kept us informed. But I did think 'My God, what now.'"

In the end, the emergency landing of Mr. Frechette's flight was about as routine as it could be.

Pilots followed procedure and shut down the engine as a precaution after a warning light indicated it was losing power, according to the airline, Pascan Aviation. It landed safely on one engine at its intended stop of Bonaventure, Que.

The plane returned to base near Montreal without passengers Thursday while Mr. Frechette reached his final destination at the Magdalen Islands on another plane. In a few minutes, he would join his wife by the side of her mother, Lucie Cormier. "I'm completely shattered, and I didn't even lose all my siblings like my wife has. It's terrible, terrible," Mr. Frechette said.

About four kilometres away from the airport where Mr. Frechette spoke, investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the American National Transportation Safety Board and aircraft manufacturer Mitsubishi sifted through rain-soaked wreckage.

Officials gave no update on their progress Thursday but promised one Friday. What's known is the small twin-engine Mitsubishi MU-2B-60 went down a few kilometres from the runway in hilly terrain just before lunch time on Tuesday.

The plane had just arrived over land when it crashed. Winds were gusting and the cloud near ground level while rain was falling. The fuselage broke into pieces on impact but remained in a small area.

Mr. Frechette said the pilots seemed to have sufficient expertise but he wondered why they attempted the flight in such bad weather when Air Canada and Pascan Aviation cancelled flights that had been scheduled for similar times.

"The public transporters appear to have tighter rules, they did not come to [the islands] at that time. There's something to look at there. The regulation of private transport is something that may need to be looked at," Mr. Frechette said. "Maybe there are rules that need to be tightened."

The entire region of eastern Quebec is starved for affordable, convenient and safe transport, Mr. Frechette said, and none more than this archipelago in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

A third and fourth generation of the family, including the adult sons and daughters of the dead and their grandchildren, were en route to the islands. They were mostly making the long drive from Quebec to Prince Edward Island where they were taking a five-hour ferry ride.

Before heading out, Marie-Anne and Jean-Michel Lapierre, the son and daughter of Mr. Lapierre, sent a statement saying they are "very touched by the wave of testimony about our dad, who was our rock, our safe harbour, and an exceptional dad and grandpa."

"Salut, salut papa," they wrote on Marie-Anne's Facebook page, adopting Mr. Lapierre's familiar salutation.

Mr. Lapierre, his wife Nicole Beaulieu, his sister Martine Lapierre and brothers Marc and Louis Lapierre died onboard. Their families also signed a statement.

"It's impossible to describe all the pain we are feeling since the crash," the statement said. "In the face of this terrible challenge, we want to give our sincere thanks to everyone who spared a thought for us or shared an encouraging word."

The family also thanked rescuers and spared a thought for the families of the two pilots, Pascal Gosselin and Fabrice Labourel, who also died. "We are saddened by their death and our thoughts are with their loved ones."

The Quebec coroner said the bodies of the passengers were released to their families. Those of the two crew members were sent to Montreal for autopsy.

Mr. Frechette said no plans for any of the funerals have been made. "It's going to be complicated," he said. "We haven't even dealt with grand-papa yet."