Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Search ongoing for plane missing in N.W. Ontario
Searchers spent the weekend looking for a small plane that went missing in northwestern Ontario Friday night with three people on board.
The search continues today for the missing Lockhart Air Service charter with a pilot and two passengers who were en route from Sioux Lookout to Cat Lake First Nation.
Peter Hildebrand with the Transportation Safety Board in Winnipeg said Sunday night they've had reports of the missing plane and that Canadian Forces air search and rescue was involved.
A massive water and ground search is also underway.
"We've been searching for two days, all day," said Romeo Wesley, a member of Cat Lake First Nation who was searching on the ground with about 30 other Cat Lake and nearby Deer Lake residents. They are fanning out on the ground and over the lake in an area where the plane is believed to have gone down Friday night, Wesley said.
"We're doing this because a light was spotted coming from west side as if it was approaching the runway," he said. The plane from Sioux Lookout -- about 180 kilometres south of Cat Lake -- should have been arriving at about that time, he said.
"At about 9:30 we had a bingo starting here and kids were playing outside. They said the plane went by to attempt a landing, then swooped up again," Wesley said. "There must have been a problem. Then (the pilot) made a circle and wanted to make another approach... . The kids saw a big fireball and they heard the impact," said Wesley.
They couldn't tell how far away it was, he said. Search crews spent the weekend fanning out over the area.
"We couldn't find any debris," said Wesley. He said the plane's two passengers were middle-aged men on their way back to Cat Lake, and one of them was returning from a Sioux Lookout medical appointment with a load of groceries.
"Some other group found jumbo Mr. Freezes floating on the water," said Wesley.
Cat Lake First Nation is an isolated First Nations community of nearly 550 people accessible only by air.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition November 9, 2009 A7
-
WFP Hockey
Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
-
Editor's Bulletin
Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
-
Winnipeg Jets
All things NHL on our Jets landing page
-
Twitter
Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
-
News Cafe
Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
-
Facebook Fanpage
Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
Poll
Most Popular
- Juror dismissed in second-degree murder trial of Mark Stobbe
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Steinbach booms to No. 3 city in province
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife dead
- Should infants be allowed in the House of Commons?
- US teen gets life in prison for killing 9-year-old; called the murder "pretty enjoyable"
- No comfort in trade talk: Veteran Thorburn says closely knit club well worth keeping together
- Father of man charged in Mountie shootings pleads with him to come home
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Three winning tickets sold for Friday's $50 million Lotto Max jackpot
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Eleven people killed after truck hits van in southwestern Ontario
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Tactical squad storms St. Vital house
- Restaurant Dubrovnik may be closed for good
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- Do you smoke marijuana?
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- George Clooney's prank could end Pitt's career
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Tina Maze strips down to her sports bra to send out underwear message: 'Not your business'
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Two children, two women die in fire
- Kate Beckinsale's weight fears over Underworld catsuit
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- New appointees named to Manitoba Hydro board
- Spain mourns death of Catalan painter, sculptor Antoni Tapies, top contemporary art figure
- Steinbach booms to No. 3 city in province
- Juror dismissed in second-degree murder trial of Mark Stobbe
- Pardon application fee to quadruple later this month despite complaints
- Our 'true champion'
- Flood reviews launched
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Northern fishing lodge destroyed by fire
- Police target drivers talking on cellphones, texting
- Obama torn by conflicting allies
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Fighting fire with knowledge
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Paddler Starkell was modern-day voyageur
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Canadian woman 'badly injured' in Mexico, local media report apparent beating
- Winnipeg mother watches as car stolen with child inside
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Cabela's to open massive store just west of IKEA site
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.