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Pilot killed in Springbank plane crash identified as Calgary business owner

A pilot who was killed in a plane crash west of Calgary has been identified as the president of a local aircraft sales company.
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A small aircraft lies in a field next to the Trans-Canada Highway after a fatal crash near the Springbank Airport, west of Calgary, on Friday, April 22, 2022. The pilot killed in the crash has been identified as a plane crash west of Calgary has been identified as Michael James Wilton, president of FlightSimple, an aircraft sales company. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dave Chidley

CALGARY — A pilot who was killed in a plane crash west of Calgary has been identified as the president of a local aircraft sales company.

Two people were in the 1981 Mooney M20K aircraft on Friday when it crashed along Highway 1 near the Springbank Airport.

The pilot was killed and a 22-year-old woman was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

FlightSimple, an aircraft sales company, has identified the pilot as its president, Michael James Wilton.

A statement on the company's website says he will be missed by everyone who met him.

It says Wilton, who was 45, was larger than life, a hero to his twin boys, and was loved for his courage, generosity and sense of humour.

"Mike was one of a kind, and irreplaceable," said the statement.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has taken over the investigation into the fatal crash.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 26, 2022.

— With files from CTV Calgary

The Canadian Press

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