Small plane crashes west of Calgary, killing 2 men

Two menwere killed Thursday morning when a small plane went down near theSpringbank Airport, just west of Calgary.

Paramedics were called to the site of the crash shortly before 10 a.m. MTand found the two adults dead in the wreckage, EMS spokesperson StuartBrideauxsaid.

The plane took off from theSpringbankAirport and crashed a short time later, going down about 1.5kilometres south of the airport, saidJon Lee with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

Lee said aTSBinvestigation team has been dispatched from Edmonton to look into the cause of the crash.

"We know it had just taken off," he said. "That's about all we know. But in terms of destination or what the intent of the flight was, we don't know that yet."

Lee said the plane was a Piper Seneca IIa twin-engine, piston-powered aircraft that typically seats between four and six people and is often used for flight training or general pleasure flying.

The plane was owned bySpringbankAir Training College.

In a statement, college president Jayme Hepfner confirmed the plane crash, saying the two occupants on board were a student and instructor with the school.

"As the shock and grief continues to set in, I want to ensure that our staff and students have the support they need to get through this tragedy," Hepfner said.

"There are many questions to be answered and I plan to take it step by step to try to provide peace to the families and the greater aviation community."

In a release Thursday afternoon, RCMPsaid the names of men who died would not be released as police were still working to notify their families.

The Springbank Airport is commonly used by smaller airlines, private aviators and for flight training.

Earlier this year, two flight instructors from Mount Royal University were killed when their small plane went down about 60 kilometres northwest of the Springbank Airport.

Former Alberta premier Jim Prentice was also en route to the Springbank Airport from Kelowna, B.C., when his plane went down in October 2016, killing all four people on board.

• Jim Prentice's plane crashed only 8 minutes after takeoff
• Plane didn't break up in-flight before crash, TSB says