Bad weather forced plane to set down

The search for a missing plane and its occupants ended happily Friday evening as the pilot, passenger and Sifton Air Britten Islander were found safe and sound at Bear River's emergency airstrip.

The search for a missing plane and its occupants ended happily Friday evening as the pilot, passenger and Sifton Air Britten Islander were found safe and sound at Bear River’s emergency airstrip.

“They were headed back for Mayo but the weather was deteriorating so the pilot made a safe decision and made a precautionary landing at the remote strip,“ Marcel Dulak, owner of Sifton Air and the missing twin-engine plane, said in an interview this morning.

Dulak, also a pilot, was involved with the search, which began shortly after the plane failed to arrive in Mayo and included search and rescue aircraft from Yellowknife, N.W.T., and Comox, B.C.

While Dulak said he is relieved, he was confident in his pilot’s ability and the company’s safety protocol.

“We were sure that he (had landed at an emergency strip) because that’s how we’re trained,“ said Dulak, who located the missing men and plane.

“It was really the weather that hampered things and made it into a lengthy operation.“

Last Thursday afternoon, the charter departed from Hart Lake, 100 km north of Mayo, with the pilot and one sport hunter on board.

Low clouds and freezing rain forced the pilot to alter flight plans and seek out the emergency landing strip, where he and the hunter stayed the night at an outfitter’s cabin.

When the plane did not arrive as scheduled in Mayo, Flight Services officials out of Mayo and Whitehorse alerted search and rescue operations and Dulak.

Despite being in possession of a satellite phone, the pilot was unable to contact Dulak, or authorities.

“Because of the terrain and being so far north, the phone just couldn’t hold the satellite connection,“ said Dulak.

After landing at the Bear River strip, Dulak was able to contact an Air North flight to relay the message to search and rescue teams that the missing plane and occupants were found.

According to Dulak, the aircraft was equipped with survival gear.

On Saturday, both planes took off and arrived safely in Mayo.

“I’d like to note the professionalism of search and rescue, Mayo and Whitehorse Flight Services and Mayo RCMP, who provided fantastic ground co-ordination,“ said Dulak.

“It’s great to see Yukoners pull together like this.“