Weather, terrain hampering search for small aircraft missing in BC Interior

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KAMLOOPS (NEWS 1130) –  Helicopters have battled poor weather while scouring heavily wooded areas for any sign of a small aircraft that disappeared before reaching its destination of Kamloops.

RCMP have identified the pilot as Alex Simons, 21, and the passenger as Sydney Robillard, 21, both of Lethbridge. The pair had been flying to Kamloops to visit Simons’ parents.

The Piper Warrior, a training aircraft, was reported missing Thursday afternoon after initially departing from Lethbridge, Alberta and then leaving Cranbrook after a refuelling stop.

Spokesman Lt. Greg Menzies says poor weather and difficult terrain have created challenging conditions for crews searching for the pair.

“We take the last known trajectory and we then add 15 nautical miles on either side of it, and that creates our search pattern, our search grid.”

“We currently have two, fixed-wing Buffalo aircraft and two cormorant helicopters currently searching the area between Cranbrook and Kamloops Lake.”

He says there was no distress signal or call for help.

“”We certainly have a lot of assets in the right now searching. Hopefully the weather clears up and we can find the plane with two people on board.”

The families of the missing pair are receiving support.

Crews from CFB Comox began the search Thursday until dark.

Menzies says the search Friday was also hampered by changing weather conditions and the rocky terrain covered in trees makes spotting a small aircraft challenging.

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