Tributes Are Paid To A 'Larger Than Life' Pilot Killed In A Plane Crash Near Calgary

A pilot who was killed in a plane crash near a Calgary airport has now been identified.

RCMP said a privately-registered Mooney M20K came down just north of Highway 1 just before 3.30 p.m. on April 22 outside of Springbank Airport, west of Calgary in Rocky View County. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

The pilot, Michael James Wilton, was declared dead at the scene and a passenger, identified as 22-year-old Megan Gallagher, was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Wilton, who was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, and later moved to Calgary, was described as "the centre of every party" in a tribute on his company's website.

The 45-year-old father of two was the president of aircraft sales company FlightSimple, which said that "he was larger than life, with a great sense of fun, a booming laugh and a generous heart."

"Mike was a pilot, an entrepreneur, and an adventurer who never turned down the chance to have fun, or lend a helping hand," the tribute said. "Blue Skies and Tailwinds, Mike, you will be so sorely missed."

According to the tribute, Wilton moved to Winnipeg for Grade 10 and attended Kevin High School where he joined the school’s football team.

He then earned a petroleum engineering degree at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology before a career in the oil industry in Lloydminster and Calgary. He then launched his own business, Flightsimple.

He leaves behind his partner, two children, mother and siblings.