A small plane that crashed in a field at Monarch Park Collegiate Institute on Monday night was due to engine failure, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) says.
Emergency services were called to the area near Felstead and Greenwood avenues just after 8 p.m.
The plane, which was travelling from Orillia to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, crashed near the soccer field and in the parking lot near the grandstand.
“En route, there was an engine failure, and the plane crash-landed… in Monarch Park,” the TSB said in a statement to CityNews.
Three occupants (a pilot and two passengers), all in their mid-30s to 40s, were on board, but no injuries were reported.
“TSB were on the scene last night assessing the site and began interviewing witnesses and those involved,” officials said.
Monarch Park Collegiate Institute remained open on Tuesday morning, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) announced.
Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop said civilians were playing soccer on the field at the time of the crash.
One witness at the scene reported that he was at the nearby St. Patrick’s Field when a plane flying above them appeared to be descending lower and lower to the ground.
“It was coming from the west side of the city to the east. And it was really low. And then all of a sudden we heard a big loud crash. So we all rushed over here and we saw the plane that had already crashed and the occupants were out,” said witness David Sydney-Cariglia.
Another witness who spoke to CityNews said the pilot was very shaken up in the immediate aftermath of the crash.
The investigation is ongoing.