Small plane's engine failed before fatal crash in Ottawa: TSB

A small plane’s engine failed before it crashed into trees short of the Ottawa airport in July 2025, according to the Transportation Safety Board.

The full report, released on Friday, Oct. 23, breaks down what happened between takeoff and the crash landing that killed the pilot, Stéphane Tessier, and injured the two passengers on board.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m. on July 31, 2025, the plane, a 1977 Grumman American Aviation Corporation AA-5A “Cheetah,” took off from the Gatineau airport.

At 5:45 p.m., Tessier contacted the air traffic control tower at the Ottawa International Airport and was granted clearance to fly through the air space under its control.

Just three minutes later, while the aircraft was cruising at an altitude of 2,621 feet and travelling at a speed of about 186 km/h, the protective cover over the aircraft’s engine burst open, pieces of the engine flew out, engine oil sprayed across the windshield, and the propeller “continued windmilling.”

Tessier reported the leak to air traffic control and, after “some discussion,” chose to divert toward the Ottawa airport, which immediately cleared the aircraft.

The pilot turned south and began to descend, flying over “built-up” areas in the city and the Central Experimental Farm. Throughout the approach, Tessier reassured the passengers they would reach the runway, but, when the plane was still 679 feet above the ground, the pilot told air traffic control that the engine was about to fail, according to the report.

Shortly thereafter, the propeller stopped windmilling and the plane continued its descent, the report said. Just before 6 p.m., the plane crashed into trees near the Rideau River, about a kilometre short of the runway. Tessier died and the passengers suffered minor injuries.

It is “highly probable,” according to the report, that the aircraft experienced a “complete engine failure,” resulting from the failure of the “No. 3 connecting rod,” which subsequently fractured the plane’s camshaft.

The issues appeared to be caused by misapplied sealant, the report said, as sealant was found in parts of the engine where it didn’t belong and likely caused some bolts to be under torqued, leading to unintended movement between parts in the engine and ultimately failure.

Federal investigators had put out a call in August of last year looking for two missing parts from the crashed plane’s engine: the crankcase casting and the camshaft.

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