Image Credit: SUBMITTED / Merritt Airport
February 13, 2020 - 3:45 PM
The Transportation Safety Board says it has gathered and assessed information regarding a plane crash in Merritt that occurred earlier this week and it will not be investigating further.
The pilot of the small plane was reported missing at 12:14 a.m. on Feb. 10, approximately seven hours after his single-seat plane had crashed on the runway at the unmanned Merritt Airport.
The 60-year-old pilot crashed at around 5 p.m. on Feb. 9, only one day after his plane was delivered from out of province. His condition is not yet known.
The crash, which sent the pilot to hospital, may not have been registered with Transport Canada or NAV Canada Flight Information Centre in Kamloops, which could be part of the reason he was trapped on the tarmac for seven hours.
According to Alexandre Desjardins, senior communications advisor for Transport Canada, flight plans and itineraries need only to be registered when a flight travels more than 25 miles from the departure point.
“In this particular case, a flight plan or flight itinerary were not required by the regulations,” Desjardins says.
After registering a flight plan with Transport Canada, the plans are held by NAV Canada. Desjardins notes that NAV can provide the flight itinerary to a "responsible person" who agrees to notify an air traffic services unit or a rescue service if the aircraft doesn’t arrive at its destination as planned.
It’s not yet clear who reported the pilot missing, or if they had knowledge of his flight plan.
Transport Canada partners with the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association and Smart Pilot to inform the aviation community about safe flying practices. For more information on safe flying practices from Transportation Canada, click here.
— With files from The Canadian Press.
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