FedEx plane crashes in downtown Winnipeg
Reuters
WINNIPEG, Manitoba - A small aircraft carrying cargo for FedEx Corp. -- including six vials of research viruses -- crashed in downtown Winnipeg on Thursday, killing its pilot, the only person on board, but sparing injury on the ground.
The Cessna 208 crashed on railway tracks in the western Canadian city just before 6 a.m. (1100 GMT), leaving only a "twisted heap" of wreckage behind, local radio said.
The crash occurred close to a Masonic Lodge at the intersection of several major streets that is known locally as "Confusion Corner."
The crash incinerated all cargo aboard the plane, including four frozen 0.5 milliliter (0.015 fluid ounce) vials of herpes virus and two of influenza, a spokeswoman for FedEx Canada said.
The viruses were not hazardous, Karen Cooper said, although they were packaged and handled as dangerous goods.
There was no danger to the public from the viruses, she said.
"It's not unusual for FedEx to send specimens, because this is what we're trained to do," Cooper said. "We have special packaging and we're licensed to transport dangerous materials."
The plane, which was on its way to Thunder Bay, Ontario, from Winnipeg, was operated and maintained by FedEx subcontractor Morningstar Air Express Inc., Cooper said.
Federal aviation inspectors and police have not yet determined the cause of the crash, she said.
Winnipeg was hit by an unusually early and heavy snowfall on Wednesday.
