Plane with Lapierre's brother-in-law makes emergency landing

Thursday, March 31, 2016, 3:17 PM - An airplane carrying the brother-in-law of the late Jean Lapierre, the former federal cabinet minister who died in a plane crash earlier this week, was forced to make an emergency landing in Quebec's Gaspesie region after an engine shut down while in mid-flight.

The plane, which was carrying about a dozen people, landed safely. Lapierre's brother-in-law, Denis Frechette, was on his way to join his wife Laure, who is the sole surviving sibling in the Lapierre family. Laure Lapierre is in Iles-de-la-Madeleine, the location where Jean died.

"The crew really put us at ease. The landing with one engine was excellent," Frechette told RDI. "I am not scared of flying. I travelled a lot in my career, especially to outlying regions. But I took the plane despite the circumstances surrounding my family."

Lapierre was among seven people who died following a plane crash on Quebec's Îles-de-la-Madeleine in the Gulf of St. Lawrence earlier this week.

The plane crashed around 11:40 a.m. local time Tuesday morning, a few kilometers from the airport at Havre-aux-Maisons.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada investigation team arrived on site Wednesday afternoon, and will conduct the inquiry into the crash along with Transport Canada and the Quebec provincial police. Speaking to CTV News, TSB spokesman Chris Krepski said it was too early to say if weather played a role in the crash.

Conditions were foggy and snowy at the time of the incident; Air Canada had cancelled at least one commercial flight Tuesday morning due to heavy fog. Wind speeds were between 40 and 50 km/h.

The group aboard the plane, which included Lapierre, his wife, sister, and two brothers, was travelling to the funeral of Lapierre's father, who passed away last Friday. The wake and funeral for Raymond Lapierre, which were to take place on Friday, have been delayed according to the owner of the Leblanc funeral home.

File photo of Jean Lapierre.

Tributes poured in late Tuesday from across Canada as news of the former minister's death spread. Lapierre served as a member of Parliament from 1979 to 1993, and again from 2004 to 2007.

Sources: CBC News | CTV News | Montreal Gazette |