The search for a missing plane and two young adults continues as it entered its 6th day on Wednesday.
“It is far from over,” Lt. Col. Bryn Elliott, the Air Force Task Commander said. “We still have lots of searching to do.”
The Royal Canadian Air Force is scouring a vast and mountainous area between Cranbrook and Kamloops looking for any signs of the plane and the young couple on board.
The single-engine Piper Warrior was being piloted by 21-year-old Alex Simons. He was accompanied by his girlfriend Sydney Robillard, also 21.
The couple left Lethbridge last Thursday, stopped in Cranbrook to re-fuel and then disappeared off the radar shortly after that take-off. They were en route to visit family in Kamloops.
A thunderstorm rolled through the area shortly after the pair left Cranbrook. Part of the search involves trying to figure out where the pilot may have veered off to avoid the stormy weather.
“We also have done a bit of analysis in trying to determine exactly where we think they are as aviators and we are concentrating more assets there now,” Elliott said.
Earlier this week, a weak beacon signal was detected within the search area but that signal has now been ruled out with the help of Industry Canada.
“They found some (signals) that were not quite on that distress frequency that might have been detected by our airplanes,” Elliott said.
The weather has made searching ideal the last few days but a change is on the way as rain is in the forecast.
“Any kind of precipitation, any kind of cloud can mask as well as make it difficult for us to get into the higher elevation,” Elliott said.
Six military aircraft are taking part in the search as well as nearly a dozen privately-owned planes. The search is expected to continue for some time yet.
“We have searched an area approximately from Cranbrook to Kamloops and 15 miles on either side. We have done it almost once at three altitudes so at the three altitudes we have not gotten it at as many angles as we would like,” Elliott said. “We will do it again just to make sure.”
Elliott says it will take at least another week to scour that area again at three different altitudes.
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