5 dead in Alberta plane crash

Five people died Friday morning when a small airplane owned by an Edmonton engineering company crashed while travelling from Edmonton to Winnipeg.

The wreckage was located shortly after noon MT approximately 12 kilometres northeast of Wainwright, Alta., RCMP said.

"Unfortunately, all five have been confirmed deceased," RCMP Cpl. Darren Anderson told CBC News from Edmonton.

Sue O'Connor, a spokeswoman for A.D. Williams Engineering, confirmed that the plane, a Piper PA-46, was being piloted by the company's president, Reagan Williams, who was killed in the crash.

Two of the other victims were identified as Phil Allard, the chief financial officer, and Rhonda Quirke, another company executive.

O'Connor said the two other victims, both contract employees, were not being named at this time.

Searchers found Allen Williams's three-year-old granddaughter, Kate, safely strapped into a child seat in the upside-down plane's wreckage. She was the only survivor of that crash.

Mr. Williams was the son of company founder Allen Williams, who was killed five months ago to the day when the Cessna he was flying crashed near Golden, B.C. Steven Sutton, who was then the CFO, also died in the crash. Mr. Williams's three-year-old granddaughter, Kate, survived the crash.

On Friday Company spokeswoman Sue O'Connor said staff members are having a difficult time coming to grips with the second airplane tragedy in five months.

Officials did not speculate on the cause of the crash.