THUNDER BAY – Officials say a search for a missing plane that dragged into its fifth day on Saturday will get a boost from additional search and rescue aircraft, but those efforts could be hampered by low cloud ceilings.
A Cessna 208 with two people onboard was reported overdue on Tuesday afternoon after departing Nakina and failing to arrive in Fort Hope, about 150 kilometres northeast of Armstrong.
A Thunder Bay-based air task force was struck on Thursday, including aircraft provided by the Royal Canadian Air Force, Canadian Coast Guard, and the volunteer Civil Air Search and Rescue Association (CASARA), with support from the OPP and Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources.
Resources dedicated to the search include two RCAF CC-130 Hercules, two RCAF CH-146 Griffon helicopters, a Coast Guard Bell 412 helicopter, as well as CASARA spotters and a Cessna 337 equipped with cameras and loc8 software, which helps searchers find details not visible to the naked eye.
An additional RCAF CH-149 Cormorant search and rescue helicopter was en route to Thunder Bay on Saturday, said Capt. Hrayr Karageozian of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Trenton in a release.
The aircraft are conducting both visual and electronic searches, hoping to find an emergency beacon or anything else that could lead searchers to the plane.
The search continued Saturday morning, but Karageozian said the forecast could complicate those efforts.
“Low ceilings and visibility forecasted in the search area could have some impact to search effectiveness,” he said.
Initial search efforts had been hindered by snowfall and low clouds on Tuesday.
Weather conditions had since improved, but the JRCC said terrain in the remote search area that’s marked by valleys, trees, and large amounts of snow continues to pose challenges.