Investigators begin combing through plane crash site near Fort Smith, N.W.T.

Warning: This story includes a photo of the crash site.

Investigators with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada have begun the process of combing through the site of a fatal plane crash just northwest of Fort Smith, N.W.T.

The crash, which happened Tuesday morning, killed six people. A seventh person survived.

On Thursday, investigators released photos of the crash site, showing the wreckage of the plane.

The plane crashed just over a kilometre northwest of Fort Smith, shortly after taking off from the community's airport. The Transportation Safety Board says the aircraft was destroyed by flames after the crash.

Investigators are still in the first phase of their investigation, examining the scene.

Jock Williams, a retired fighter pilot who also worked as an air force accident investigator, told CBC investigations like these can take months and, less commonly, sometimes a year.

"The Canadian Transportation Safety Board is one of the best in the world, and believe me, you can count on them to do a painstaking job," he said.

"But sadly, what that means is it won't get done in a week ... it just depends on what they find."

Williams, who had a 37-year career as a military officer, said the investigators will be looking to map out the crash site, and find all the pieces of the plane.

"It's important that people make a map of where everything is. Because it's quite possible that something might be missing from the wreckage, and that missing piece might well be what caused the accident," he said.

Right now, it isn't known why the BAE Jetstream aircraft crashed.

The plane was on its way to the Diavik diamond mine at the time.