Missing Aircraft Located

At 8:45 p.m. Sunday, May 22nd, Superior East OPP issued the following:

On April 24, 2022, members of the Superior East Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) launched a missing person investigation following a ten-day search for an aircraft that went off radar on April 14, 2022.

The Piper Comanche was in transit from Delhi, Ontario, to Marathon when it disappeared from radar coverage near Red Rock Lake. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) conducted a lengthy aerial search which was hampered by inclement weather and deep snow levels.

On May 21, 2022, a civilian helicopter and an OPP Aviation Services helicopter were conducting follow-up searches in areas of interest within Lake Superior Provincial Park. At approximately 5:00 p.m., the civilian aircraft located the crash site near Old Woman Bay and OPP responded. Members of the Emergency Response Team (ERT) and UCRT are assisting with the scene.

Members of the Transportation Safety Board have begun their investigation into the cause of the crash.

 

May 22, 2022 at 13:23

Ontario Provincial Police have posted to social media that Saturday, May 21st, a civilian aircraft located an airplane that has been missing since April 14th. OPP state that OPP aviation (helicopter) responded to the scene within minutes and confirmed. The aircraft was located approximately 2km east of Old Woman Bay. The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) will be attending and conducting an investigation.

The aircraft was reported missing on April 14th, 2022 with John Fehr and pilot Brian Slingerland aboard. They were returning to Alberta from Delhi, Ontario where the plane was recently purchased. The search was suspended after 10 days of searching with JRCC Trenton explaining that poor weather and the terrain hampered search efforts, but the many aircraft and personnel made all efforts possible with all technology available to find the aircraft and missing men.