Search area narrowed for missing plane en route from Edmonton to Chilliwack

A plane that went missing en route from Edmonton to Chilliwack. B.C., took off from the Parkland Airport on Friday, according to the airport manager.

The Joint Rescue Co-Ordination Centre said it was notified around 2 p.m. Friday that a small private aircraft with two people aboard was overdue.

Robert Gilgen said the plane’s pilot has been to the airport a few times over the last couple years.

“He comes from B.C. He stays for a few days and then returns to B.C.,” Gilgen said.

The JRCC describes the missing plane as a White Van’s RV-6, a two seat private plane.

“It’s a type of aircraft that, in many cases, is built by the owner. There are different kinds of planes of that nature – there’s RV-6, RV-7, RV-9 – and so it’s a small one engine or single-engine plane,” Gilgen said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's a type of aircraft that, in many cases, is built by the owner. There are different kinds of planes of that nature - there's RV-6, RV-7, RV-9 - and so it's a small one engine or single-engine plane," Gilgen said.

“The weather was apparently flyable for visual flights. I do not know anything about the pilot’s qualifications, if he was rated for instrument flight or not.”

Gilgen said the RV-6 typically has an emergency locating transmitter.

“When a plane has an issue, the pilot can activate it or it will be activated automatically if there’s any kind of an impact – similar to an airbag – that automatically deploys. It does send out a signal,” he said.

READ MORE: Crashed wreckage of plane missing since Sunday found west of Edmonton

“If that was working, the emergency locating transmitter was working, there should be a general search area that can be narrowed down,” he said.

Gilgen said the airport tried contacting the pilot’s cell phone after receiving a call from the Edmonton Flight Information Centre.

“They asked us if this plane departed from our airport. That was on Friday afternoon. We certainly did [try calling pilot’s cell phone]; unfortunately it goes straight to voicemail.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They asked us if this plane departed from our airport. That was on Friday afternoon. We certainly did [try calling pilot's cell phone]; unfortunately it goes straight to voicemail."

Crews initially focused the search on the Highway 5 corridor between Chilliwack and Valemount, B.C., but are narrowing the search Sunday between Clearwater and Valemount, B.C., due to radar and cell tower information.

“We’re experiencing some low ceilings, low visibility with some light rain,” said Lt. Navy Tony Wright, public affairs officer for JRCC.

“As long as it’s safe for us to fly, we’re going to continue to do so as long as we have visibility and light.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "As long as it's safe for us to fly, we're going to continue to do so as long as we have visibility and light."

Wright said there have been no sighting of the aircraft but crews will continue to search as best as they can.

“Every search and rescue event is different. Based on the experience of the search and rescue operators, they determine the survivability. As long as we believe there’s the possibility someone survived an event, we’re going to keep searching,” Wright said.

“At the point where the decision is made where it’s no longer possible, we turn it over to the RCMP and it becomes a recovery operation.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "At the point where the decision is made where it's no longer possible, we turn it over to the RCMP and it becomes a recovery operation."

Seven planes from the Civil Aviation Search and Rescue Association, two CH-149 Cormorant helicopters and one CC-115 Buffalo search plane are involved in the search.

-with files from Simon Little