Pilot confirmed dead in Alberta plane crash

The person killed in Monday's plane crash in northern Alberta was a pilot, Transport Canada has confirmed.

Officials havenot released the name of the deceased,one of two pilots and eight passengersaboard the twin-engine turboprop aircraftthat crashed during an attempted landingat the Kirby Lake airstrip. Four people were sent to hospital with serious injuries.

Emergency workers saidsurvivorswere walking through the wreckage trying to help each other when rescuers arrived at thecrash site nearConklin, about250 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.

"Everyone was just concerned about the other guys, not themself," Joe de Beaudrap, an emergency medical responder with oil company Cenovus, told CBC News on Tuesday.Some were able to walk while othersneeded stretchers, he said.

"It's a miraclenine survived," de Beaudrap added.

Paramedic Jennifer Kuzek saidthe crash scene was something shehopesnever to experience again."You always hope for the safety of people,"she said.

Weather a factor

The weather will be a "main focus" of the crashinvestigation, said Mike Tomm, a member of theTransportation Safety Board of Canada team that arrived at the site Tuesday morning. "We will begin to go through flight logs and records."

Investigators studied the trail of wreckage, and bymidafternoon had completed the field investigation. The wreckage wouldbe sent to Edmonton for further examination if necessary, said Tomm.

The Beechcraft King Air 100, operated by Kenn Borek Air,left Edmontonand was en route to the Kirby Lake airstrip Monday when it crashed into the muskegat about 11:20 a.m. MT. Seven BP employees were on the plane, along with a contractor and the two pilots.

All the survivors were injured and taken from the scene in stable condition. Two were flown by air ambulance to Edmonton, and two others were taken to Fort McMurray, where one was released from hospital late Monday. The rest were treated locally and taken to Lac la Biche, about 165 kilometres away.