A family is mourning the loss of a loved one after the ultralight plane she was piloting crashed in Nova Scotia's Hants County on the weekend.
Originally from Fredericton, 50-year-old Maryanne Hardman was the only person inside the plane when it crashed near Nova Scotia’s Stanley Airport on Sunday.
“We’re devastated, but we’re touched by the outpouring of support,” says the victim’s brother-in-law, Clayton Hardman.
He says Hardman loved to fly back to New Brunswick and one of her favourite achievements was landing her plane on the St. John River.
“She loved the thrill of flying. She loved the freedom that it gives by being up there in the sky in an otherwise stressful world,” he says.
The Transportation Safety Board is interviewing witnesses, checking weather conditions and examining Hardman’s ultralight plan to determine what caused the fatal crash.
“Being an ultralight, she could have maintained it herself, but chose not to,” says Kevin Layden, president of Stanley Sport Aviation. “She hired an experienced mechanic.”
Layden, who has been a pilot for almost 30 years, says the plane and airfield were kept in excellent shape.
The airfield has a safety plan in place for emergencies, even though airfields aren’t required to have a safety plan.
Layden says, even with five years of flying under her belt, Hardman would still have been considered an inexperienced flyer.
“To be considered experienced, you have to fly an awful lot,” he says. “We’re talking 100 hours a year in all types of weather, in different types of airplanes.”
Hardman was well known in local flying circles and her flying club is taking the news of her death especially hard.
Her family says she will be remembered as a good friend.
“Maryanne was a very caring person,” says Clayton. “She was dedicated to her family and very loyal to her friends.”
The Transportation Safety Board says the cause of the crash remains under investigation and is still in the preliminary stages.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Matthew Woodman
