The pilot in a fatal plane crash may have set the stage for his own death by texting on his cellular phone while flying.

The Transportation Safety Board says the crash near the airport in Fort St. John, last November could have been caused partly because the pilot wasn't concentrating on his flying.

The report says the Cessna 185E, operated by Treck Aerial Surveys, experienced several altitude changes while the pilot was using his cell phone.

The plane, with only the pilot aboard, was coming from Peace River, Alta., and was just 20 kilometres from the airport when it crashed.

The TSB report says the man at the controls, who was also a commercial pilot, appears to have lost his bearings because he had no visual references on the dark night, creating a so-called black-hole effect as he approached the airport.

The report says the pilot descended too low, or wasn't aware that his plane was too low, and it slammed into the ground, killing him.