The 54-year-old London pilot who died when his kit-built plane crashed near Stoney Creek airport had just bought the aircraft, a lead investigator into the crash says.

The plane was a BD-4, a certified amateur-built plane constructed in 1972, said Ken Webster, senior regional investigator with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.

“It was purchased recently by the pilot and was being flown by the pilot to St. Thomas,” Webster said.

But soon after take-off at 7 a.m. Friday, it made a slow turn westward and fell.

It caught fire on impact, about 200 metres from the runway, Webster said.

The cause of the crash is still being determined, he said.

The pilot's name hasn't been released.



Investigators examine the wreckage of a small plane crash near the Stoney Creek Airport Friday.(Transportation Safety Board photo)