The Transportation Safety Board of Canada has determined the cause of a plane crash in Labrador last year may remain a mystery.

On December 14, the privately-owned Piper aircraft crashed nearly 5 kilometres away from Goose Bay Airport.

Air traffic controllers had cleared the plane to land on runway 8, but the pilot lost control and the plane was destroyed upon impact.

The aircraft pilot died a short time after the crash while the second occupant was left with serious injuries.

The official report from the TSB determined that the small plane had exceeded its maximum weight capacity, which can impact the aircraft’s ability to operate. However, officials were not able to confirm that excess weight was the cause of the crash. Due to insufficient data, investigators were also unable determine the status of the autopilot during the final moments of the descent.

No voice or flight data recorders were recovered from the crash site as they are not mandatory for an aircraft of that size.