The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) led the search operations. They are still searching for a pilot whose de Havilland Beaver floatplane went missing over the water off the eastern coast of Newfoundland just days ago. On Tuesday morning, the CRJ turboprop plane crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. This incident led to a multi-agency search and rescue effort that included military service members and the Canadian Coast Guard.
An unidentified businessman from Spain bought the aircraft in the U.S. The flight plan had a planned layover in St. John’s. As the search moves into its fifth day, authorities said they were concentrating their efforts around a square mile where the most debris has been found.
The next day, searchers found an oil slick approximately 225 kilometres east of St. John’s. This slick is just one of the many key indicators guiding them to the crash site. This zone has been of special focus for search crews as they continue to try and find the lost pilot.
Continued research uncovered further thrilling finds. Personnel from the Canadian Forces and the Canadian Coast Guard discovered one of the plane’s floats, along with an empty life raft, in the vicinity. The evidence of other debris has deepened fears about what happened to the pilot.
Past city officials have stressed the need for exhaustive national searches. They thoroughly search the waterside area where these items have been recently discovered. Now, the national police force, the RCMP, is bringing in reinforcements — underlining how dire the situation has become. They’re bringing additional resources and expertise to assist in the search efforts.
The situation is a sad reminder of the dangerous nature of all aviation, even more so in our unique maritime operating environment. The answer is still up in the air, with search crews determined to discover any clues in the case of the missing pilot.
