A missing pilot was tragically found deceased after search teams located his small aircraft submerged in Wolfe Lake within the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park in the Kawartha Lakes region, as reported by the Ontario Provincial Police.
The OPP revealed in a press release on Wednesday that wreckage from the aircraft was recovered on Monday by crews, with the plane itself discovered underwater on Tuesday. Authorities have confirmed the pilot’s fatality and are now working on a plan to retrieve the aircraft.
The pilot, identified as David, aged 73, was reported missing when he failed to return to Oshawa Executive Airport on Friday morning. He had departed from the airport in a self-built plane at 8:30 a.m. and was expected back by 9:30 a.m., according to Durham Regional Police. His last known location was in the Balsam Lake area near Kirkfield.
Family members reported the pilot missing to the authorities, sparking an extensive search operation coordinated by the Trenton Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, in collaboration with the OPP, the City of Kawartha Lakes detachment, and other agencies across Ontario. The Ministry of Natural Resources also played a key role in locating the aircraft and the pilot.
The OPP expressed condolences to the family and friends of the deceased pilot and acknowledged the public’s support and assistance during the search efforts.
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Crews find plane in Kawartha Lakes region as search for missing pilot continues
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Police search for missing pilot believed to have flown small plane over Kawartha Lakes, Ont.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash. The TSB has dispatched a team of investigators to the vicinity of Minden Hills, Ont., to probe an incident involving a privately registered small aircraft.
Durham police had disclosed that the pilot, known only by his first name, was an experienced aviator who typically flew in the region south of Kawartha Lakes and north of Lake Scugog.