A missing pilot was tragically discovered deceased this week as search teams located his small plane submerged in Wolfe Lake within the Kawartha Lakes area, according to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
The OPP announced the recovery of aircraft wreckage on Monday from Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park, situated northwest of Peterborough, Ontario. Subsequently, the sunken aircraft was identified in the lake on Tuesday.
Authorities confirmed the pilot’s fatality, and plans are underway to retrieve the plane, as stated by the police.
The pilot, known as David and aged 73, was reported missing after departing Oshawa Executive Airport on Friday morning in a self-constructed aircraft. Scheduled to return by 9:30 a.m., he was last spotted around Balsam Lake near Kirkfield.
The pilot’s relatives reported his disappearance to the authorities.
A joint effort involving the Trenton Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, the OPP, and various other agencies, including the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, was instrumental in locating the plane and the pilot.
The OPP expressed condolences to the pilot’s family and appreciated the public’s support during the search operations.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is currently probing the circumstances surrounding the crash. A TSB team has been dispatched near Minden Hills, Ontario, to investigate the incident involving the privately registered aircraft.
Prior details from Durham police had indicated that the pilot, a seasoned aviator, frequently flew in the region south of Kawartha Lakes and north of Lake Scugog.