Pa-24 missing in Ranger Lake Ontario Canada.

dcat127

dcat127

Pre-takeoff checklist
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C-GEWK went missing on 4-14-2022. The pilot had recently purchased this plane and was flying it home to Alberta. 2 People on board.

Flightaware and flightradar24 both record the track but the altitude is missing.
 
Ugh. God bless. My instructor always talked about the choice in a single. Night or IFR but never both. Tossing a new plane in the mix. Sounds like some hostile terrain as well
 
Many years since I flew in that area. Vast areas uninhabited, unforgiving terrain. The suggestions to always follow hwy 17, never push weather or fuel were good ones.
 
benyflyguy said:
Ugh. God bless. My instructor always talked about the choice in a single. Night or IFR but never both. Tossing a new plane in the mix. Sounds like some hostile terrain as well
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A "black hole" of a huge lake if they were relying at all on ground lighting, as well.
 
In bush like that, the airplane can clip the treetops and drop straight down and the trees close back over it. Can't see anything from the air unless you're directly over it, and even then it can be sketchy. There are a lot of square miles to look at, and zillions of trees to hide under. If the airplane had no reliable ELT, things get tough. I hope they had survival gear. If they can start a smoky fire it would make the searchers' job easier.

Down on the ground it can look like this, depending on rainfall and snowpack. Wetter is denser.

upload_2022-4-18_21-32-4.jpeg

So dense that little light gets through. Even the undergrowth can hide an airplane.
 
I have the utmost respect for pilots. I am only a student at this point so really can’t speak intelligently about making a go no go decision. But with the limited knowledge that I have I can’t imagine why an experienced, or non experienced pilot would want to fly under the conditions others have discussed on this thread. Knowing what little I know I would be terrified, especially in a new plane. It just seems to go against what I know we are all taught from early on. I really hope things work out for the pilot and passenger.
 
Speaking of that, it comes down to discipline. The ‘big money’ is made with preflight weather checks. The shorter the time is, the more accurate the weather. One can start with current observations, then go to forecasts.

One of my main safety tools is the inflight divert, especially on a cross-country flight. We need to realize & accept, we never have to be ANYWHERE. The family & friends would much rather hear about a delay than get ready to plan a funeral. It actually can come down to that.

Yes I’ve done a few things early on, not to be repeated. The learning curve can be so steep, one has to learn from others. The next time things get tight, land short.
 
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sourdough44 said:
Speaking of that, it comes down to discipline. The ‘big money’ is made with preflight weather checks. The shorter the time is, the more accurate the weather. One can start with current observations, then go to forecasts.

One of my main safety tools is the inflight divert, especially on a cross-country flight. We need to realize & accept, we never have to be ANYWHERE. The family & friends would much rather hear about a delay than get ready to plan a funeral. It actually can come down to that.

Yes I’ve done a few things early on, not to be repeated. The learning curve can be so steep, one has to learn from others. The next times things get tight, land short.
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Remember doing just that a few years ago. Coming back from Alabama hit convective storms. Could pick through them. But picking kept getting tougher. Put er down, tomorrow is another day. But get-there-itis is a thing. I've suffered it myself. It really takes discipline and need to set your own personal minimums.
 
Racerx said:
But get-there-itis is a thing. I've suffered it myself. It really takes discipline and need to set your own personal minimums.
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Wisdom comes with age, usually, and age comes with some hard lessons. If we survive our youthful stupidity, we get wiser. Then the young guys laugh at us old, conservative folks who are a lot more careful when they fly. They don't want to hear the stories about our learning experiences. Too many of them have to make the mistakes themselves. I have stories about them, too. Too many stories.
 
Being new to flying, as you more experienced folks know, keeps me in a hypersensitive state most of the time. I hope I can retain some
Of that going forward. I just can’t see a scenario where I would take a chance like that. But I was not there and who knows what was really going on at the time the decision was made. Still hoping for a positive outcome.
 
A few years ago I road a motorcycle from sault saint marie to Timmons past Ranger Lake. 50 mile gravel road in that area, signs saying “no gas for 100 km”, etc. Seemed more remote than anywhere in the lower 48.
 
Dan Thomas said:
Not nearly as bad as most of Canada. There are a lot of logging clearcuts in that area; with any luck, they came down in one of them.
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But at night, with snow falling at some intensity, how does one maneuver into that clear cut?
 
Country Flier said:
A few years ago I road a motorcycle from sault saint marie to Timmons past Ranger Lake. 50 mile gravel road in that area, signs saying “no gas for 100 km”, etc. Seemed more remote than anywhere in the lower 48.
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Maybe. But I think Wyoming has some similarly remote areas, but not heavily forested, which should make searches easier.

Canada has an estimated 318 billion trees. Lots of places to hide. Mountains make it even worse. In BC there are many airplanes that have never been found. Here's one that was found, by accident, after 32 years: https://www.straight.com/news/13083...t-missing-1987-solved-after-plane-crash-found
 
sourdough44 said:
But at night, with snow falling at some intensity, how does one maneuver into that clear cut?
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You don't. You crash in it, maybe CFIT. Only problem is the stumps everywhere that tear an airplane apart. The clearcut can make finding it easier, as long as it isn't ten years old and infested with tall brush.
 
That’s some sense wilderness up there. They could have flown over the crash site and just plain missed it with the way the canopy would just swallow up the plane.
 
What a tragedy for the families. They have lost loved ones, and now the chances of finding the aircraft and recovering the remains is miniscule.

I hope they receive that closure soon.
 
3393RP said:
Nice try. Not the same aircraft. Sioux Lookout is over 1,100 kilometers from Ranger Lake. There were two on board the missing plane near Ranger Lake, four bodies were found in the aircraft near Sioux Lookout.
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Whoops. Apologies. But it sure made for an interesting read!

Just removed it from this thread.
 
Sounds like this plane has been found. Someone of the family had started a gofundme page, just added this:

John and Brian have been found. Unfortunately they are deceased and the investigation is ongoing. We thank you for your continued prayers and if anyone still feels led to support Johns family it will be greatly appreciated. In times of tragedy like this there are hardly any words to relieve the sorrow and grief for the loss our loved one.
 
I can't say for sure, but this Gofundme was started soon after the crash, and this update was posted recently. Hard for me to understand if it was a scam, what they are gaining by posting this update.

There is also a Facebook post by a close relative also saying it was found.
 
The families will be able to put their loved ones to rest now.
 
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