Two injured after small plane goes off runway at southern Manitoba airport

PORTAGE la PRAIRIE, Manitoba — A small plane suffering a mechanical failure at a Manitoba airport slid into a ditch during takeoff, leading to injuries to the pilot and a passenger. The incident occurred shortly after 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20, at the airport in Portage la Prairie, a town in southern Manitoba located about 50 miles north of the U.S.-Canada border and about 180 miles northwest of Grand Forks. A report sent to the media by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police noted that the plane was taking off from the runway during an air show when it malfunctioned. "The pilot aborted the take-off and attempted to bring the aircraft to a safe stop, but it drove off the end of the runway and went into the ditch," the report said. The RCMP, along with paramedics and local firefighters, responded to the scene. According to the report, the pilot, a 61-year-old male, and a 54-year-old female passenger were transported to the hospital in Portage la Prairie for treatmen