Missing aircraft near Langley BC

[boeingboy]

A witness saw a plane crash into the Fraser river near Fort Langley BC. No mayday but Boundary bay airport reports 1 plane overdue. The flight plane had them no where near that area.

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/r ... li=AAggFp5

[AirFrame]

Sounds like it's a student and instructor missing in a school plane. If it was a lesson, the flight plan was probably "Local East" and that could mean anywhere in the Fraser Valley (or, I guess, the Fraser River ).

[Capt. Underpants]

Which flight school?

[bald seagull]

http://intlflightcentre.com/

[yeah yeah]

Just bumping this thread. Any further news?

[boeingboy]

Not much - just that the last radar return was at 60 meters - eastbound over the river

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/p ... li=AAggFp5

[pelmet]

Not much - just that the last radar return was at 60 meters - eastbound over the river

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/canada/p ... li=AAggFp5

On 06 June 2020, Cessna 172M (registration C-FCCV), operated by International Flight Centre
Inc., was conducting a local training flight from Boundary Bay Airport (CZBB), BC, with 1 student
and 1 flight instructor onboard. At 13:12 Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), the aircraft disappeared from
radar over the Fraser River at approximately 11 NM ESE of Pitt Meadows (CYPK), BC. The aircraft
was last recorded travelling eastbound at an altitude of 200 feet above water with a ground speed
of 80 knots. The aircraft remains missing and the fate of the crew is unknown; the RCMP is leading
the search.

[PilotDAR]

The aircraft was last recorded travelling eastbound at an altitude of 200 feet above water with a ground speed
of 80 knots.

Which changed to x feet below the water, with a speed of 3 knots westbound with the current?

[7ECA]

Quite an odd occurrence, I mean the total lack of information around the time of the incident makes it seem even more bizarre.

At the time, the Fraser River was running high and fast with the freshet. During those times, it's got a ripping current.

I do find it hard to believe that a 172 went into the River, and there's been no trace of it seen since. Seems rather unlikely that it would have sunk right to the bottom and stayed there...

[stabilizedapproach]

https://www.tsb.gc.ca/eng/rapports-repo ... P0060.html

Final report is out. Collision with a power line due to low level flight. Very unfortunate event.

[7ECA]

Bizarre, is about the only word I can come up with to describe this occurrence/accident.

How is it, that to this day, not a single piece - nor any trace of the aircraft or occupants has been found?

[telex]

A bizarre event indeed.

But apparently there is a B777 that is also underwater that is still missing.

[Schooner69A]

Never low fly in an area you haven't recce'd before. And never make a second pass...

[Heliian]

A bizarre event indeed.

But apparently there is a B777 that is also underwater that is still missing.

They found pieces of that 777, probably all thats left after a high energy impact.

A 172 should be easy to find in a much smaller body of water.

[co-joe]

The report mentions the heights required for obstacle avoidance, but doesn't mention the requirement to be more than gliding distance from shore. It's possible the investigators assume that the engine wasn't effected by the strike, or that the impact stalled the aircraft or otherwise rendered it unflyable I guess.

I also find it extremely odd that the aircraft hasn't been located.

[PilotDAR]

They found pieces of that 777, probably all thats left after a high energy impact

Well... pieces of the 777 found civilization...

How far would a 172 drift in the current of the Fraser River? To the ocean? Would anything stop it? I once found a submerged body which we had been searching for 800 feet away the day before, and that was much less than one knot of current in a lake. The last time I flew floats off the Fraser river, the current was at the limit of my comfort level, I think eight knots or so? 30 NM to the ocean? How long would that take if nothing hung it up? 4 hours?

[pelmet]

I found this paragraph interesting......

"Obstacle collision avoidance system
In 2008, BC Hydro implemented an obstacle collision avoidance system (OCAS) on spans of power
transmission lines along known aviation routes as a trial at 4 sites in the province, including the
occurrence site. The system used active radar, radio communication, and strobe lights to warn aircraft
if they were on a collision course with the monitored span. Because the system used radar, its
operation was independent of any equipment on board the aircraft.

In 2014, the private company that was supplying BC Hydro with support for the OCAS equipment
ceased operation. Because OCAS relied on the real-time monitoring that the company provided, when
this ended, BC Hydro was forced to stop using the system and all 4 OCAS in the province were
deactivated. At the time, there were no other certified alternatives."

Has anybody had any experience with this system?

[Scuderia]

I found this paragraph interesting......

"Obstacle collision avoidance system
In 2008, BC Hydro implemented an obstacle collision avoidance system (OCAS) on spans of power
transmission lines along known aviation routes as a trial at 4 sites in the province, including the
occurrence site. The system used active radar, radio communication, and strobe lights to warn aircraft
if they were on a collision course with the monitored span. Because the system used radar, its
operation was independent of any equipment on board the aircraft.

In 2014, the private company that was supplying BC Hydro with support for the OCAS equipment
ceased operation. Because OCAS relied on the real-time monitoring that the company provided, when
this ended, BC Hydro was forced to stop using the system and all 4 OCAS in the province were
deactivated. At the time, there were no other certified alternatives."

Has anybody had any experience with this system?

The Peak 2 Peak Gondola in Whistler, BC has an OCAS although I have had a hard time finding specific information about it aside from on the information boards in the facility.

When skiing a few weeks ago I asked a technician at the gondola and was told that it broadcasts on all frequencies 118.000-136.975 "POWER LINES, POWER LINES". He didn't know whose system it is or its current status, so it very well could be out of service now like BC Hydro's.

Maybe someone from the local helicopter ops is familiar with it.

[PilotDAR]

Has anybody had any experience with this system?

Yes, in 2009 I was doing some helicopter evaluation flying up and down the Fraser River east of Langley. As I approached the wires crossing at Mission, on any radio frequency turned, I could hear fading in to a crescendo, then fading out: wires - wires - wires - WIRES - WIRES - WIRES - wires - wires - wires ... It certainly gave enough warning to make a correction, and was an effective system. I don't know what one heard with radios off, I presume nothing, but I guess you'd not be NORDO there anyway. I didn't realize the system was not still in use...

[pelmet]

Has anybody had any experience with this system?

Yes, in 2009 I was doing some helicopter evaluation flying up and down the Fraser River east of Langley. As I approached the wires crossing at Mission, on any radio frequency turned, I could hear fading in to a crescendo, then fading out: wires - wires - wires - WIRES - WIRES - WIRES - wires - wires - wires ... It certainly gave enough warning to make a correction, and was an effective system. I don't know what one heard with radios off, I presume nothing, but I guess you'd not be NORDO there anyway. I didn't realize the system was not still in use...

Does that mean that every IFR frequency into Vancouver hears this statement and if some helicopter was bussing around for fun for 20 minutes, that those frequencies would be blocked up with continuous 'Wires' transmissions?