A Cessna 206 Amphibian airplane caught fire in-flight and made a safe landing at Springbank Airport with three male passengers escaping unharmed, Feb. 17.
The men avoided what could have been a deadly situation as an in-plane fire broke out eight kilometres before their scheduled landing.
The pilot was forced to land 42 metres short of the runway, hitting the grass, before bringing the plane to a stop on the tarmac.
Fire crews put out the fire and EMS examined the men. The men were flying from Villeneuve, a reliever airport north of Edmonton.
Springbank Airport spokesman Larry Stock said the men were flying in to pick up another aircraft.
ìHe (the pilot) did an excellent job bringing the aircraft in considering the condition it was in. Itís the first in-flight fire Iíve seen here,î said Stock.
The planeís lower engine cowling had completely melted off and Stock said he believes the aircraft is ìrecoverable,î although it isnít currently flight worthy.
The Transportation Safety Board and Rocky View County Fire Services will work together to determine if an investigation is necessary.
Airdrie RCMP is currently investigating a sexual assault that took place during the day, Feb. 10. A stranger attacked a woman at her Airdrie residence in Prairie Springs. RCMP hasnít said how the man gained access to the house, but said she was not alone during the assault.
Police described the man as having an average build.
The RCMP are warning residents not to indicate to strangers that you are the only person home, request proper identification from people at your door, use a screen door, have another person home if there is a scheduled service call and donít hesitate to ignore the person at the door if you feel uncomfortable.
RCMP is currently conducting DNA testing in relation to the incident.
Airdrie RCMP arrested two different drunk drivers in unrelated incidents within 90 minutes on Highway 2, Feb. 23.
The first incident occurred at 5:36 p.m. Officers received a call of a Ford F-150 driving erratically in southbound lanes near Olds. When the man was north of Crossfield, police finally intercepted and arrested him. A 27-year-old man from Airdrie is now charged with impaired driving after blowing 3.5 times the legal limit.
Seventy-two minutes later, a second call came in regarding a Chevrolet pick-up truck swerving on Highway 2 near Crossfield. Police made an arrest a short time after and charged a 35-year-old man from Calgary with impaired driving after blowing 2.5 times the legal limit. He was also charged with possession of a controlled substance.
ìBoth of these individuals had alcohol in their system at levels that were allegedly well beyond the legal limit,î said Airdrie RCMP Sheriff Jason Graw. ìWe appreciate the fact that both of these drivers were called in by innocent motorists, who wanted to see them taken off the road, and we are certainly fortunate to have intercepted them before a serious collision occurred.î
A week after their newborn son was mauled by the family dog, dying of his injuries, an Airdrie family released a statement, Feb. 23.
The Fradette family, which lives in Kingís Heights, will not be speaking on this matter, according to RCMP, although police will be updating the public once a determination is made regarding the dogís future.
Here is the familyís statement:
ìThe Fradette family would like to sincerely thank the Emergency Response unit, EMS, RCMP, Alberta Childrenís Hospital staff especially everyone in the intensive care unit, Airdrie Victim Assistance Society, AHS South Mobile Response Team and all those that helped with our sonís care. We would also like to thank the countless family members, friends, fellow mushers and dog trainers, neighbors, the community of Airdrie and complete strangers who have reached out their arms and shown us love and support during this extremely difficult time.
The death of our son was an unthinkable, tragic accident. We will never know what our family pet was thinking nor will we ever know why she did what she did. We now have to accept what has happened and move forward in our grieving and healing. Both of us are very experienced regarding the Husky breed and canines in general. Over the years we have been to numerous educational seminars including the Calgary Humane Societyís ìOld Pet, New Babyî seminar. All the dogs currently in our family have gone through numerous training classes including obedience classes in multiple levels, rally, tricks, agility and of course have been trained in pulling sports. We have not yet entered into any discussions regarding the future of our Husky, as both of us are still grieving the loss of our newborn son. There is a behavioral assessment still to be done, and a court date set for March 15th, 2012, to determine the fate of the dog. Once the fate of the dog is determined, a further media release will be sent out. We hope that this message will answer some of the questions the media has asked, and now simply hope for peace to remember our infant son, and to grieve his loss. At this time, we respectfully request privacy, so that we can grieve, heal and come to terms with our loss at this most tragic time. Thank-you for your support.î
In memory of Baby Fradette donations can be made directly to the Alberta Childrenís Hospital http://www.childrenshospital.ab.ca/goto/Fradette
To date, more than $5,000 has been raised.
If you have information on any unsolved crime, call your local RCMP detachment or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crimestoppers.ab.ca
