Plane wreckage, pilot’s body found in Lac Ste. Anne County
The search for a missing pilot en route to Westlock ended Thursday with the discovery of the wreckage of a plane in Lac Ste. Anne County.
Scott Schneider and his Cessna 172 were found by Royal Canadian Air Force search and rescue crews Thursday around 4:30 p.m. He was found without vital signs, an air force news release said.
Schneider had been flying with a dog to Westlock from Edson with a plan to land Sunday evening.
They were reported missing Monday when his plane never landed.
A Royal Canadian Air Force search and rescue crew found the missing plane in a wooded area near Oldman Lake, about 90 km northwest of Edmonton, using radar logs of a local airport.
The plane had “extensive damage” when it was found, said RCMP Cpl. Chris Warren.
In a news release, searchmaster Maj. Gerry Favre with 1 Canadian Air Division Wing thanked surrounding communities for calling in tips.
“While this is not the outcome we hoped for, we hope it brings closure to the family and friends of Mr. Schneider,” Favre said. “The thoughts of the entire search team are with the family right now.”
Search crews included four Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft, two ground units from the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association and a tactical helicopter from CFB Edmonton. Around 60 air force and civil air personnel took part in the search.
Search crews were challenged with working in a vast search area, Warren said. On top of that, search and rescue teams in the air had to be called off multiple times because of the heavy smoke in Alberta from B.C. wildfires.
“We had a takeoff position confirmed, and an intended final destination of the aircraft, but nothing to pinpoint it between those two points,” Favre said.
Transport Canada and the Alberta coroner’s office have been notified.
The Transportation Safety Board is expected to investigate the cause of the crash.
Schneider was originally from Nebraska and had spent time in Alaska, his friend Rob Dunham told Postmedia Tuesday. He had been living in Westlock for around nine years.